Vranyo
Vranyo (Russian: враньё) is a calqued Russian word and concept, which can be described as a lie being told despite it not being expected to be believed, but the person being told the lie goes along with it anyway.
Origin and meaning
[edit]The concept of vranyo dates back to the Soviet period. David Shipler, a longtime Moscow correspondent for The New York Times, shared an explanation of the word provided by a Russian friend, who described it as: "You know I'm lying, and I know that you know, and you know that I know that you know, but I go ahead with a straight face, and you nod seriously and take notes."[1][2][3][4]
Neil Bermel, a professor of Russian and Slavic studies, described vranyo as a noun formed from the verb vrat' , which means ″to lie″. However, unlike vrat' [a], which Bermel described as ″pejorative″, vranyo is more dismissive, a lie that is not expected to be taken seriously, but used as an excuse or to avoid responsibility.[5]
Vranyo in Russian domestic and foreign policy
[edit]The Russian state has been described to use the vranyo concept for influence both domestically and in foreign policy.[6][7] Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russia, described the 2024 Russian presidential election as a "particularly good example" of vranyo. He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle had chosen 87% as the official level of support, while the level of actual support for Putin and the Russian invasion of Ukraine is much lower in Galeotti's view. Galeotti argues that people in Russia are "keeping their head down" due to state repression, with about half of the population trying to ignore what is happening."[8]
Vranyo at work
[edit]The term vranyo in Russian is applicable to the collective participation in deception. Thus, someone knowingly deceives others that they will meet monthly production goals, and colleagues hear this claim and know it to be false, but no one publicly considers it to be a lie. According to David Shulman, "[w]hen a co-worker claims to work incredibly hard but is lying and an observer knows that colleague is lying but does not expose the lie — that is vranyo. In subsequent chapters, workers demonstrate a strong inclination to vranyo. Vranyo occurs routinely in meetings..."[9][b]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Inherited from Proto-Slavic *vьrati (as a verb, only preserved in Russian and Serbo-Croatian). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- (“to speak”). Cognate with Serbo-Croatian: varati, lit. 'to cheat, deceive, trick, swindle', 'to be mistaken'. Term in Russian: врач, romanized: vrach, lit. 'witch-doctor', 'enchanter' (originally), now synonymous to 'doctor' (medical), is derived from the same root. Cognate Serbo-Croatian: вра̑ч, romanized: vrach, lit. 'witch-doctor', used to have 'doctor' meaning, which is now obsolete
- ^ Itallic, absent in the source, added
References
[edit]- ^ Schillinger, Liesl (23 February 2018). "McMaster Gives a Belated Russian Lesson". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Binyon, Michael (13 September 2018). "Novichok attack: Lies, damned lies and lies you don't expect anyone to believe". The Times and The Sunday Times. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Gorokhova, Elena (21 October 2011). "From Russia With Lies". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Murray, Marilyn (15 May 2025). "Why Lying Has Become a National Pastime". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Bermel, Neil (6 March 2025). "Ukraine war: 'vranyo' – Russian for when you lie and everyone knows it, but you don't care". The Conversation. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Best, Matthew (13 August 2024). "From Russia With Lies". Open Canada. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Horowitz, Theodore; Murrell, Xanthe; Sussex, Dr Matthew; Carstensen, Eric (20 September 2023). "Vranyo: Questions We Need to Ask To Understand Russian State Media". Australian Institute of International Affairs. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Putin's war in Ukraine – and at home – Association of European Journalists". Association of European Journalists – United Kingdom. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Shulman, David (2006). From Hire to Liar: The Role of Deception in the Workplace. Ithaka and London: ILR Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-8014-4473-9. Retrieved 20 June 2025.