Putin made a number of cynical statements about the war he unleashed against Ukraine: that he is saving Russian-speaking Ukrainians, that he wants to end the war as soon as possible (he called it a war, which many people noticed), about negotiations.
What do these statements and, in general, his increased media coverage of recent times in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war mean? Portal "Comments" turned to experts with these questions.
Putin's statements worry the Western audience and the world in general less and less
Director of the Institute of World Politics, political expert, author of the book "Hybrid War" Eugene Magda explains:
"At one time, Putin received a law degree from the Leningrad University named after Lenin And, accordingly, could at least try to operate with legal categories. And that is why there is a special cynicism in this sense on his part - both as a lawyer and as the Russian president - when he says that he still considers the Ukrainian people to be brothers. At the same time, it destroys this nation."
According to the expert, Putin seems to actually continue to live in the paradigm that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. And he does not abandon this paradigm, even after organizing genocide in Ukraine.
"An interesting feature is that his statements concern the Western audience, the world in general, less and less. They worry only the citizens of Russia. And Putin focuses on them. There is nothing surprising in this. During 2022, there was a significant decline in Putin's authority and influence. And this is an irreversible process, Yevhen Magda is sure. — Well, what about his statement that the Russians are "tickling" the Patriot air defense system. Well, well, klatczyk Kremlin, try it."
Russian propaganda, emphasizes the expert, likes to create some kind of mania in the sense of destroying Western models of weapons. "They hunted for a 155mm howitzer for months. And as a result, only in August they were able to show only one - completely broken. Then it was said that they were destroying dozens of HIMARS rocket launchers. Now there will be similar stories about Patriot, predicts Yevhen Magda. "It's funny when the president of Russia himself makes such empty statements."
The top leadership of Russia understands that the war is already lost
The fact that Russian propaganda creates a parallel reality for its citizens is no longer news, the political expert believes Denys Horokhovskyi. But, he continues, even with such an approach, Russia needs some positive information sources on the basis of which news can be built. And they are simply not there.
"Instead, infopoles are massively filled with news that show the real state of affairs: the sanctioned price ceiling, the meeting between Zelenskyi and Biden, the wounding of Rogozin, and fires at gas pumps and military facilities, etc. Russia has nothing to oppose, so the last tool for propaganda is Putin's statements. Any nonsense that he utters becomes not only ready-made news for Russia, but also real in the last instance, which is forbidden to doubt. Moreover, it is Putin who should voice it, because even the local patriotic electorate does not really believe it, if similar nonsense is voiced by someone of lower rank, for example, Medvedev," the expert explains.
This, he emphasizes, is the basis for the recent media activity of the President of Russia. "At the same time, Russian propaganda has put itself in an extremely difficult position," says Denys Horohovskyi. - In their fantasies, the propagandists have escaped so far from reality that they themselves can no longer support the created image. That is why we see regular mistakes and blunders: from Putin's use of the word "war" in the context of Russian aggression (although in Russia such a thing is criminalized under the "fake law") - and ending with a public refusal to officially end the mobilization in the country, although the authorities reported in the mass media that the Russian army is fully equipped."
The expert is convinced that the top leadership of Russia understands that the war has already been lost. And for the Putin regime, this is not only the collapse of a political career, but also the subsequent criminal responsibility for the crimes committed.
"Therefore, Russia will increasingly close itself off from the outside world and enter a parallel information reality, building a state similar to North Korea," predicts Denys Horokhovskyi. - Therefore, it should not be surprising if in a year their media will write about how, for example, the Russian national team won the World Football Championship, defeating the USA national team 5:0 in the final."
Putin is trying to remove responsibility for the defeat in Ukraine
Political expert Mihailo Chapliga emphasizes that Putin's speech really surprised many, in particular, local deputies, who even decided to turn to the Prosecutor General. "The fact is that Putin first called the so-called "SVO" a "war", which it was from the first days. And in Russia, thousands of citizens were persecuted for calling the war a war, the expert emphasizes. - Although, on the other hand, Putin most likely meant two different aspects. In Russia, there is an opinion that, they say, they will not lose to Ukraine, but to NATO and the collective West. So it seems less shameful to them. Thus, Putin tried to show that, as they say, there is a separate SVO and a separate war with NATO in Ukraine."
According to Mykhailo Chaplya, this is how Putin is trying to remove responsibility for the defeat in Ukraine. To abjure this disgrace - and shift the responsibility to the collective army and officials. At the same time, trying to imagine everything so that it is not Ukraine that wins, but the collective West.
"The topic of Patriot system battery deliveries is, of course, very painful for Russia, as it violates the global geostrategic balance of missile defense and anti-missile defense (missile defense and strategic offensive weapons). But Russia cannot do anything — its threats do not affect the decisions of the United States. And Patriot, most likely, has been in Ukraine for a long time - and our servicemen are trained accordingly. Yes, this is not a miracle weapon, the S-300 and S-400 systems are similar. But the very fact that Ukraine has a Patriot says a lot. A month ago, this seemed unthinkable, the expert emphasizes. - In general, Putin's speech seems to me to be a weak reflection on Zelensky's rather successful visit to the USA. Ukraine has once again returned to the headlines of the Western media and is once again in the spotlight. And this annoys the leadership of the Kremlin."
