Kremlin Prepares Russians for Prolonged Fighting in Kursk as Ukrainian Forces Progress in the Region

The Kremlin believes that, according to optimistic estimates, the fighting in the Kursk region, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces have entered, may last for several months and is preparing Russians for a "new normal".

This was reported by Meduza citing anonymous sources close to the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation and the government.

"At first it was unclear what forces had entered, for how long. Now there is an understanding, it is always easier,” explains a source close to the Kremlin. “The regional centers are far away. But the entry [of the Ukrainian Armed Forces] into the territory of the Russian Federation and taking control of villages is a new event, and a very unpleasant one." 

Based on survey data, the anxious mood of Russians increased by 6% and reached 45%. At the Kremlin, these figures are considered high and I hope they go down soon.

In order for the mood to “settle” faster, the Kremlin is using propaganda to prepare Russians for life in the conditions of a “new reality” and a “new normal” (propagandists have already used these terms during the pandemic and at the very beginning of the war with Ukraine).

"This (the use of such expressions in propaganda) is necessary so that people consider what is happening not as a deviation, but as a new norm, albeit a temporary one. This should reassure people. It is difficult to exist in a deviation from the norm. So it is easier to exist a norm, even if it is going to be a new one," explained a media technologist who cooperates with the internal political bloc of the Putin administration.

The components of this “new reality,” as conceived by the Kremlin, are as follows:

• the enemy has indeed broken through to Russian territory;

• it faces inevitable defeat;

• but the return of territories will take time, and the Russians must wait.

At the same time, Russian citizens are invited to "direct negativity and shock in a positive direction", for example, to take part in raising aid for the Kursk region. Putin's administration has already "recommended" to do this to the authorities of the regions.

Ukraine officially announced carrying out an operation in the Kursk region on August 12.