As Russia falters over its military failure in Lyman, the Kremlin has tried to use its propaganda channels to amplify the president’s central argument. Vladimir Putin, stressed in his bellicose speech on Friday that in Ukraine,
Russia is at war with the collective West, which it calls “Anglo-Saxons”.
In Russia’s flagship Sunday political program “News of the Week” on Channel 1, the The fall of Lyman It wasn’t even mentioned until after over one hour of free coverage of Russia’s growth from 85 to 89 regions in an annexation of most of the world’s views as illegal.
The day before, two powerful Putin supporters lashed out at the Kremlin, demanding the use of fighting methods. harder because Lyman had fallen just as Moscow declared it would be the illegally annexed region in which it is located Russian forever.
But soldiers interviewed on Sunday’s broadcast said they were forced to withdraw because they were fighting not only with the Ukrainians, but also with the NATO soldiers.
“These are no longer toys here. They are part of a systematic and clear-cut offensive by the military and NATO forces, ”the unnamed deputy commander of a Russian battalion told the show’s war correspondent, Evgeny Poddubny.
The soldier insisted that his unit had intercepted the soldiers’ conversations. Romanians and Poles, not Ukrainians, on their radios.
“So you think we are not fighting the Ukrainian army?” replied the correspondent.
“I do not know what NATO and its mercenaries they have been fighting us for a long time ”, replied the deputy commander.
The broadcast seemed destined to convince Russians who have doubts about the war or are angered by plans to summon up to 300,000 civilians that any hardship they have to endure must be blamed on a West determined to destroy russia at all costs.
The idea that Russia is waging a broader campaign was picked up in an interview with Alexander Dugin, a far-right thinker whose daughter, also a prominent nationalist commentator, was killed by a car bomb in August.
Dugin sought to present victory in Ukraine as essential for Russia’s survival in an existential battle against the West, which he called a “mortal enemy”.
“Russia will be sovereign if Ukraine is an ally or a part of it,” Dugin told host, Dmitry Kiselyov, who has been sanctioned by the European Union and the UK since 2014.
“This is the condition for our sovereignty. This is when we will be considered. Therefore, to respond symmetrically to this terrorist attack, Russia must win and win in all aspects “.
Dugin, like Putin, accused Western countries of harming Nord Stream gas pipelineswhich broke after underwater explosions last month in what European and Russian leaders called an act of sabotage.
“The West is already accusing us of blowing up the pipeline ourselves,” he said.
“We need to understand the geopolitical confrontation, the war, our war with the West on the scale and scope in which it is taking place.
In other words, we must join this battle with a deadly enemy who does not hesitate to use any means, including the explosion of gas pipelines. “
The ongoing messaging campaign may work, at least for now.
Many Russians feel threatened by the West, said Alexander Baunov, a senior member of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from Russia.
“There is anger; there is fear; there is a hidden idea, but not necessarily against Putin, “she said in a telephone interview.
“Part of the anger, even among those who avoid mobilization, is against the West or the Ukrainians.”
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Source: Clarin
