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In November, Putin “went to the people”: there was a significant increase in public events where the Kremlin’s patriarch (Putin turned 71 in October. For context, Brezhnev died at 75, Stalin at 74, Chernenko at 73, and Andropov at 69. — DM) had to not only speak but also engage in discussions and answer various questions on topics ranging from culture to economics. However, regardless of the nominal topic of conversation, Putin inevitably talked about the necessity of continuing the war against Ukraine as a guarantee of “success” and “salvation,” not only for Russia but for “peace” worldwide.
Russian media, commenting on and spreading Putin’s words, kept track of and quoted all foreign publications discussing the “West’s fatigue” from the war and the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Against this backdrop, Russian diplomats, with Putin’s consent and approval, began testing foreign audiences’ readiness to accept Russian ideas and conditions for negotiations with Ukraine.
As a result, it seems that the Kremlin is deliberately preparing two different agendas: one for domestic and another for international information consumption. And this means only one thing — neither of them is truthful or indicative of the Kremlin’s real intentions and plans.
So, in the first part of the November review, let’s start by examining what exactly the Putin regime has been using to brainwash its people.
Culture, Show Business, and Language Are Also Weapons of Kremlin’s Aggression
On November 3, Putin met with new members of the Public Chamber of Russia. This is a sort of forum of puppet and Kremlin-loyal “public associations,” including religious communities. The Public Chamber’s task is to provide “public approval” for government initiatives and, if necessary, voice measured criticism of the government so that Putin could issue orders and directives for “improving the lives of Russians.”
This time, however, the members of the Public Chamber were relegated to the role of extras, tasked with attentively listening to the dictator, memorizing, and agreeing with his statements. The venue chosen for the meeting was also symbolic — the Victory Memorial on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. Thus, the Kremlin immediately set the tone for the entire event: fake “public figures,” including collaborationists from the occupied territories, were gathered to talk about war and “victory.”
For those interested in following Putin’s train of thought, they can refer to the Kommersant report on the event. However, overall, the Russian people heard nothing new. Putin again equated himself with Alexander Nevsky, emphasized the necessity of defending Russia from the insidious West, and once again denied Ukraine’s existence before 1917.
However, it’s important to note a few significant accents Putin made to justify the continuation of the war. In particular, the war criminal stated that Russia is fighting and will continue to fight in Ukraine to preserve and protect Russian culture, Russian values, and history.
The pretext for aggression against Ukraine, supposedly, was that the Ukrainian government, with the West’s indulgence, was destroying Russian culture and language in the southern and eastern regions, which were eventually occupied by Russia in 2022.
October 4, 2023, RT in Russian:
“On the territories of Russia’s new regions, when they were part of Ukraine, Russian culture was being exterminated, stated Russian President Vladimir Putin. ‘This especially concerns the Donetsk and Luhansk Republics and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. In these territories, essentially, all Russian culture, language, and literature were being exterminated,’ Putin said during a conversation with the finalists of the ‘Teacher of the Year’ competition. According to him, in these regions, the Russian language was essentially banned.”
November 3, 2023, RT in Russian:
“Russia is protecting its values, history, and culture and helping the residents of the Donbas and Novorossiya to do the same, declared Vladimir Putin during a meeting with members of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. According to the president, if there had been a normal attitude towards Russians in Ukraine and no state coups, Russia would not have had to return Crimea to its composition in 2014.
’If we had had normal, modern, friendly relations with brotherly Ukraine, I still say ‘with brotherly Ukraine,’ bearing in mind that our ethnic composition is literally brotherly, no one would have thought of taking actions related to Crimea,’ Putin stated.
The Russian leader again emphasized that in the current situation, it was necessary to protect people from Nazis. ‘We could do nothing else but to stand up for the people living there. The same went for the Donbas and Novorossiya later,’ Putin declared.
He also noted that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine declared Russians not to be a native nation and ‘simultaneously began exterminating Russians in the Donbas — to the applause of the West.’
Additionally, the president was asked about the decision to start the special operation. In response, the head of state stressed that Russia had no other choice. ‘Because before you decide to unholster a gun, you need to think whether it can be avoided. No, unfortunately, it could not be. Why? Because we were already under attack,’ he said.”
All Russian media widely circulated these claims about the necessity to fight for the preservation of Russian culture and language. Even a week later, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov again emphasized in an interview with Channel One that the war must continue to protect the Russian language.
November 11, 2023, RT in Russian:
“Russian soldiers are currently fighting on the frontline for the Russian language, stated Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia, commenting on the rights of Russian-speaking citizens in the context of Kyiv’s attempts to join the EU.
’The rights of the Russian language do not interest them. These rights interest us. And now our guys on the frontline are also fighting for the Russian language,’ Peskov said in the program ‘Moscow. Kremlin. Putin’ to journalist Pavel Zarubin.”
On November 17, Putin returned to the theme of using culture as a means of mobilizing society to continue the war against Ukraine. This time, the “Forum of United Cultures” event was held in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Putin used this opportunity to publicly warn all cultural, artistic, and show business figures against criticizing the government’s actions during the war.
Thus, the Kremlin ultimately secured the right to censor any notable cultural activity and publicly obligated everyone working in creative industries to direct their efforts to support the aggressive war. Anyone shirking this duty would face, at the very least, social ostracism and criminal prosecution.
Hence, from the end of 2023 onwards, the entire art and culture sphere in Russia should be considered yet another, absolutely overt, instrument of aggression against Ukraine and its allies.
November 17, 2023, RT in Russian:
“Everyone in Russia has the right to their point of view, but there’s a difference between having an opinion and causing harm to one’s country, stated President Vladimir Putin, commenting on the stance of cultural figures who criticize the special operation in Ukraine.
’Every person has the right to their position, their point of view, but of course, we need to look not at what they say, but at what they do. If their activity is associated with harming their own country and people, such activity also exists, we see it, fees are transferred somewhere, frankly, to the enemy — that’s one story,’ he said.
If it’s an opinion, assessment, or point of view, then that’s another story, added Putin.
’There’s another circumstance that we undoubtedly must consider. It’s the mood in society and the opinion of the people of the country that we either consider our homeland or we don’t. This is an objective factor that no one can escape from,’ the head of state declared.”
However, a real celebration for Russian fascists was Putin’s speech at the “XXV Congress of the World Russian People’s Council.” The ideologue of the “Council” is Alexander Dugin, and the sponsor and inspirer of this gathering is the “Orthodox oligarch” Konstantin Malofeev, known as the financial backer of the “Russian spring.”
It was then, on November 28, that Putin openly approved the preparation for the introduction of mandatory ideology — Russian fascism. And the main principles of this ideology he defined as a political program for continuing and expanding aggression against neighboring states.
Apart from the complete absorption of Ukrainians and Belarusians and their transformation into Russians, Putin’s supporters interpreted his words and presence as permission to develop state decisions and laws based on “Orthodox values,” to combat dissent in education, science, and culture, and to approve policies of oppression and assimilation of millions of labor migrants from Central Asia.
In this context, the intention of the Russian Orthodox Church to legalize its presence in the Russian army deserves attention. For Ukraine, the threat lies in the Kremlin’s desire to use the Russian church as a “witness” that will deny the perpetration of war crimes and genocide by the troops consisting of “Christian warriors.”
The systematic and planned turn towards Russian fascism and increased militarization of the entire Russian society is also evidenced by public events of Putin’s party “United Russia.”
November 30, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“The first Russian TV channel Tsargrad continues to analyze the programmatic speech of the Head of the Russian State, delivered on November 28 at the anniversary XXV World Russian People’s Council:
’We must remember the lessons of the 1917 revolution and the subsequent Civil War, the collapse of the USSR in 1991. So many years have passed, but people of all ethnicities living now, even those born in the 21st century, are still paying for the miscalculations made then. For indulging separatist illusions and ambitions, for the weakness of central power, for the policy of artificial, violent separation of the great Russian nation, the triune people — Russians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians...
In a moment, even in a minute (around 16:32 Moscow time), on November 28, 2023, the infamous “Russians” ended in Russia. Of course, not as a dramatic literary word, but as a liberal euphemism denying Russianness. In our multiethnic (which is, of course, a fact) country, there is a state-forming Russian ethnic group (over 80% of the population) and other peoples of Russia.’”
November 30, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“Konstantin Malofeev: Our main expectations were linked to the speeches of the head of the Council, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. They said extremely important words for our country now. The President clearly stated that without Russians, there would be no Russia. He spoke about the Russian people more than ever before. And this is exactly what we wanted to hear… From him, that day, we heard that ‘the state-forming people are not a superiority, but a fact.’
Yes, he was talking about the national-liberation war in Ukraine. This means that we, as a state, do not see the special military operation as a war against the state of Ukraine. This is our national-liberation struggle against racists, Satanists, the global West...
That’s exactly what the President said. And, importantly, Tsargrad TV has always believed this. And now we’ve heard the same words from the head of state. This means that the war does not end on the battlefield. If it’s a national-liberation war, then we must liberate ourselves in other spheres of our life: in culture, in education, in science, and many other areas. As was discussed in the sections of the Council.
The speech of the head of our Council, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, sounded like thunder out of a clear sky. His words about migration, which we at Tsargrad talk about every day. Although, for example, our colleagues from federal channels try not to notice this problem at all, which, according to any sociological surveys, is the second most significant for the country’s population after the war in Ukraine. And in places like Moscow, Moscow region, Saint Petersburg, or Leningrad region, maybe even the first... And His Holiness Patriarch spoke directly, clearly about this. About how, if nothing is done, migrants will change the very face of Russian cities. And it will be a different Russia, not the one we know.”
November 30, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“The Russian Orthodox Church intends to regulate the legal status of clergy sent to the SMO zone. Such clergy are requested to be granted social rights equivalent to military personnel. The participants of the recent World Russian People’s Council called for a prompt resolution of this issue.
She explained that this concept includes the hierarchical subordination of military priests to the church hierarchy. Additionally, clergy and their family members should be granted social benefits, guarantees, and compensations equal to the social package provided by Russian law for contract military personnel and their families...
Patriarch Kirill also emphasized that ‘if there were no priests in our troops, the nature of military actions would be completely different’: ‘Because the priest — while he is obliged to strengthen the military spirit and support the soldiers — simultaneously humanizes the military environment simply by his presence. A Christian soldier will honestly perform his duty, but he will not commit war crimes, will not show cruelty because he has Christian beliefs.’”
Parallel to Malofeev’s “Council” in Rostov-on-Don, “United Russia” members conveyed that the main source of “national pride” for Russians now should be direct participation in the war against Ukraine as soldiers or “volunteers.” Notably, “United Russia” begins to use the theme of war to whitewash its image as the “party of swindlers and thieves”: “independent war correspondents” Lisitsin and Pegov were forced to praise “officials” and “Kremlin silver-spooners” who supposedly are in the trenches with soldiers “eating buckwheat,” and their drones “saving dozens of lives.”
November 29, 2023, Kommersant.ru:
“At the ‘Sambek Heights’ memorial complex in the Rostov region, the first of three discussion platforms organized by the ‘United Russia’ party took place in anticipation of the ‘Proud of Russia’ congress. Participants shared their interpretations of the concept of ‘pride.’
According to Mr. Turchak, the last two years have been significant for all citizens in terms of forming national pride. ‘Once again, dozens of Western countries, using Ukrainian Nazis and weapons from around the world, are trying to break Russia. We are fighting for the future of our country and our children. The future of our country, the future world order is being decided now on the ancestral Russian lands — the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson. This means we have no choice: only Victory and achieving all the goals of the SMO set by the Supreme Commander,’ said Andrey Turchak.
The leader of ‘United Russia’ noted that since the beginning of the SMO, ‘United Russia’ has taken on special responsibility and supports the new regions, fighters, and their families. ‘United Russia is the President’s party. From day one, we are the party of Victory. This has been and will remain the fundamental position of United Russia.’ We have passed more than 250 laws to counter external pressure, support people, regions, and small businesses. Hundreds of our comrades, deputies of various levels, went to the front as volunteers. In the President’s working group on the SMO, we address issues with payments, vacations, rehabilitation of the wounded. More than 80 laws have been adopted at the initiative of the group to support fighters and their families, and over 40,000 appeals have been processed. All regional branches of the party have taken part in collecting and sending humanitarian aid. Over 80,000 tons of cargo have been collected and delivered. Equipment worth more than 8.5 billion rubles has been purchased for our units,’ reminded Andrey Turchak. The Secretary of the General Council emphasized that Russia now needs three victories: on the front, in the rear, and in people’s minds, especially in the minds of the youth.
The central theme of the discussion, as expected, was the SMO and the new regions. All four of their governors participated in the discussion and thanked Russia, the party (primarily for humanitarian and volunteer aid during military actions), and Vladimir Putin. The head of the DNR, Denis Pushilin, assured that the time will come when all of Russia will rightfully be proud of the Donbas. The head of the LNR, Leonid Pasechnik, said that his region always felt the support of ‘great Russia,’ and he always considered himself ‘Soviet, Russian’: ‘Yes, I am Ukrainian by ethnicity, but I am Russian in soul and always have been.’ And the Kherson governor, Vladimir Saldo, promised that soon the region’s capital Kherson would return: ‘Both the command of the “Dnepr” group and the supreme commander — I spoke to him on Friday — are all set specifically for the preparation of this event.’ ‘Huge thanks to everyone who came to the Zaporizhzhians, Khersonians, to the Donbas. My younger son asked me what pride is. An emotion? Yes. A feeling? Yes. A state of the soul? Yes. But most importantly, it’s something you can’t live without, that can’t be taken away from a Russian person. We got this state back thanks to the President’s decisive decision,’ supported his colleagues the head of the Zaporizhzhia region, Evgeny Balitsky.”
Anton Demidov, the chairman of the ‘Young Guard of United Russia,’ took pride in the youth who provided the main volunteer aid to the new regions. War correspondents Yevgeny Lisitsyn and Semyon Pegov raised the topic of pride in politicians and officials. The latter called himself a “rebel” who was far from parties but now feels unity both with those gathered in the hall and with other representatives of power. “I, who previously disdainfully regarded ‘Kremlin majors,’ proudly watched as the guys from the YGUR volunteer company were among the last to leave the Kharkiv region, helping to evacuate civilians under shelling… And all the contradictions, prejudices we had against each other — the front wiped it all out. (It also wiped out.— “Kommersant”) my prejudices against high-ranking officials who slept in ordinary sleeping bags with soldiers, bathed in a frontline bath, simply sat and ate soldier’s buckwheat with stew with them,” said Mr. Pegov. Yevgeny Lisitsyn talked about the stories he heard repeatedly, such as how a quadcopter brought by an official saved the lives of entire units.
The honor of the last speech was given to the commander of the ‘Sparta’ battalion, speaker of the DNR parliament Artem Zhoga (led ‘Sparta’ after the death of his son). He thanked all Russians for the ‘military shoulder’ and helping hand and politically astutely summarized the discussion: ‘I am proud to live in the same country with these great people. Proud that I joined the ranks of ER, which, as has been said repeatedly, from the first days of the SMO was in all the hottest spots.’
Victory Is Nigh
However, while the entire creative industry is harnessed to carry out the ideological task of supporting the war, the Kremlin already needs to intensify and maintain the degree of public approval of the “SMO.”
Despite the absence of the expected and promised victories in Avdiivka or Kupyansk in October, in November, Russian propagandists intensively produced and disseminated “news” and “comments” about the “inevitable victory” in the war as a whole and Putin’s outstanding role in achieving it.
Various formats and manipulation techniques were used to place Putin at the center of imaginary and projected military successes.
In particular, on November 4, the media reported on Putin’s conversation with a teenager — the son of a deceased occupant, who also wishes to go to war, and thus managed to enter a prestigious educational institution. Clearly, such a technique of glorifying war and creating an example for emulation is primarily aimed at parents from Russian regions who would like to see their children more successful.
November 4, 2023, Argumenty I Fakty:
“Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with a cadet whose father died participating in the special operation in Ukraine. The cadet said that his father was a serviceman and died during the SMO on February 27 last year. The boy stated that he wanted to be like his father, so he enrolled in the Moscow Cadet Presidential School. He confessed to the head of state that he liked studying. ‘We’ll talk again,’ Putin replied.”
On November 10, the media reported on Putin’s visit to the “SMO headquarters” in Rostov, and on November 15, the dictator himself told Channel One that he “manages the course of the special operation around the clock.” All this is calculated to strengthen Putin’s image as a “military leader” and “strong leader,” which was damaged after Prigozhin’s coup.
November 10, 2023, Kommersant.ru:
“After visiting Kazakhstan, President Vladimir Putin stopped in Rostov-on-Don, where he visited the headquarters of the Southern Military District. Mr. Putin listened to reports on the progress of the military operation in Ukraine and familiarized himself with new models of military equipment. This was reported by his press secretary Dmitry Peskov. The President was accompanied at the headquarters by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and other military leaders. ‘Vladimir Putin was briefed on new models of military equipment and received reports on the progress of the special military operation,’ Mr. Peskov clarified, without providing further details (quote via TASS).”
November 15, 2023, RT in Russian:
“Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that he has to work around the clock on economic issues and the progress of the special operation in Ukraine.
’This requires round-the-clock attention, it’s impossible otherwise. Firstly, lately, I’ve been going to bed quite late. But, of course, I always have to be reachable — and that’s how it is. I am always accessible,’ he told journalist Pavel Zarubin.”
In November, despite the real absence of frontline news, Russian media began disseminating information that the war might end with a victory as early as spring 2024, coinciding with Putin’s next “elections.”
To shape public opinion about the “inevitability” of victory over Ukraine, old and new manipulative techniques were used:
Hyperbolization of Ukrainian military losses. For instance, war criminal Shoigu reports the destruction of almost all Ukrainian air forces and “predicts” a similar fate for F-16s, which haven’t even been supplied:
November 2, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“In recent weeks, Russians shot down 37 Ukrainian planes. If Kyiv receives F-16 fighters, they will last only 20 days of combat operations, says Sergey Shoigu. Interestingly, both the Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Congress agree... Congressmen hesitate because the allocation of funds discussed will lead to another increase in national debt. Also, somewhere along the way, they stopped understanding why they were fighting Russia in Ukraine. Interest in this war is decreasing — this is obvious to everyone.”
November 21, 2023, RT in Russian:
“Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost more than 13,700 personnel and about 1,800 military vehicles since the beginning of November.
The minister mentioned this at a board meeting in the Ministry of Defense of Russia.”
Use of accomplished facts. Peskov already promises that the leadership of the Ukrainian state will be punished after the “victory,” and fake foreign experts and representatives of the Russian military report the “rout” of Ukrainian Armed Forces by spring 2024:
November 3, 2023, RT in Russian:
“Russian leader’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov expressed confidence that all Kyiv criminals will face due punishment. He said this in the corridors of the educational marathon of the ‘Knowledge’ society as part of the ‘Russia’ exhibition-forum.”
November 10, 2023, RT in Russian:
“Former NATO troop commander, retired German general Harald Kujat, stated in an interview with YouTube channel HKCM that Russian armed forces have routed the AFU and created reserves for further advancement towards Odesa.
He described the AFU’s losses as ‘immense’.”
November 25, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“Commander of the ‘Akhmat’ special forces Apty Alaudinov predicted negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in the spring of 2024. On his Telegram channel, he emphasized that ‘this winter will be decisive,’ hence Kyiv will start pushing Moscow towards negotiations. However, Russia will not accept Ukraine’s conditions if they are only about capitulation. ‘In the spring, the enemy will definitely start ‘pulling’ towards negotiations with Russia,’ he predicted.”
November 25, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine may end as early as March next year, according to military conflict analyst Sergey Kolmogorov. However, it must be understood that ‘the last five months of the war will be difficult,’ he noted, particularly challenging. This was reported by the PolitNavigator Telegram channel. According to Kolmogorov, the Russian army currently has ‘serious successes’ on the frontline. He then spoke about the probable assaults on Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Mykolaiv.
Previously, a forecast on the SMO’s duration was made based on a survey of the command staff and soldiers of the Russian army. Detailed analytics with subsequent predictions were provided by the Voyenved group, clarifying that this is their opinion, as in Russia, completely different kinds of information about the further course of the SMO are ecoming even from official sources. Their forecast is similar: the conflict will end in the spring of 2024.”
November 26, 2023, RT in Russian:
“Ukraine will lose Kharkiv and Odesa due to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's refusal to make peace with Russia, stated former CIA analyst Larry Johnson.
In an interview with the YouTube channel Dialogue works, he noted that Kyiv had a chance to achieve peace, then the country would have kept the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.”
November 30, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, spoke about Russia’s plans for the SMO in 2024. According to the official, victory is not far off. Kadyrov considers negotiating with the Kyiv authorities pointless, as Russia itself can achieve victory and force Ukraine to capitulate. The goal will be achieved very soon. Already in 2024, according to Kadyrov, Russia awaits good news and victory.”
Dissemination of baseless claims: Russian intelligence leaders repeatedly report plans by Lithuania, Poland, and Hungary to seize Ukrainian territories after the destruction of the Ukrainian army by Russian forces; the U.S. demands Zelenskyy to conduct a “winter offensive” for the “utilization of excess population”:
November 10, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“Previously, an important part of the dialogue between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin concerning the probable occupation of western regions of Ukraine by Poland and Lithuania was disclosed. Notably, this remained ‘unnoticed’ by Americans and their satellites.
Sergey Naryshkin, in particular, informed the Security Council that, according to information received by the SVR, ‘official Warsaw is gradually realizing that no Western aid to Kyiv can support Ukraine in the goals that were laid in this aid.’
Moreover, there is a realization that Ukraine’s defeat is only a matter of time. In this regard, the Polish leadership is intensifying its intention to control the western territories of Ukraine by deploying its troops there. Such a step, as one of the options, is planned to be formalized as the fulfillment of allied obligations within the framework of the Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian security initiative — the so-called Lublin Triangle, — Naryshkin reported...”;
November 23, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“Orban surely has a huge interest in Zakarpattia, which he will be ready to take under his wing after our victory in the SMO. This is another reason why the Hungarian president is so persistently friendly with us in front of the all-powerful West. He simply believes in our victory. As for Ukraine, the Hungarian public opinion keenly perceives the vicissitudes of the fate of their compatriots. And here, Kyiv cannot get away with its Nazi policy. By keeping Ukraine out of the EU, Budapest demonstrates its principled defense of its national interests,” political analyst and publicist Yuriy Golub told Tsargrad”;
November 24, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv to present the Ukrainian authorities with a stringent plan for a winter offensive by the AFU. Zelenskyy and his team will have to comply and sacrifice the remaining population.
Ukraine is entering a terminal stage of societal collapse and decay. The management elite has received a solid plan for the utilization of the population and is determined to implement it rigorously: the ability to leave the doomed country and relocate to the ‘blessed’ West depends on it. Support from allies is declining and will continue to do so, but Kyiv will not be completely cut off from oxygen.
The UAF will increasingly receive surrogate weapons, and the decline in combat capability will be compensated by increasing the number of cannon fodder in the trenches. The Ukrainian population no longer believes in victory but continues to cling to the hope of somehow ‘squeaking through’ and avoiding mobilization.”
Inducing conspiracy theories about the West preparing a military coup to remove Zelenskyy and recognize Ukraine’s defeat:
November 3, 2023, RT in Russian:
“Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed the opinion that US authorities are considering changing the elites in Ukraine due to corruption problems. According to him, corruption in Ukraine is ‘practically legalized.’ ‘They (US authorities — RT) are now contemplating changing the elites — both economic and political — it will all be the same,’ Putin stated.”
November 13, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“In Ukraine, there are calls for the demobilization of AFU soldiers. Since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the country has lost at least 71,000 people. Zelenskyy continues to ignore the requests of his voters and risks being overthrown for negotiations with Russia...
Authors of the British newspaper The Times believe that Zaluzhnyi does not believe in a successful offensive by the Ukrainian army this year and urges to preserve what is there to prepare more effectively for an operation next year. But Zelenskyy disagrees and does not recognize this, the journalists are convinced. Interestingly, the conflict between them was discussed after Zaluzhnyi’s complaints at the front...
In Ukraine, it is believed that Valerii Zaluzhnyi sees no way out of the difficult circumstances on the front and understands the necessity of negotiations with Russia. This is also being discussed in the West. For example, French President Emmanuel Macron in one of his recent interviews admitted that a time will come to find a solution within the framework of dialogue with the Russian side...
According to political scientist Andrey Perla, the West is trying to create conditions for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, but with territorial concessions in favor of Moscow. ‘I suspect that civil unrest in Ukraine is fueled by the same Western institutions that until recently worked on unifying and mobilizing this country against Russia. The wind has shifted, and now propaganda is working to create conditions for a ceasefire and armistice. With the loss of territories in exchange for a future and prosperity,’ Perla expressed his opinion in a conversation with Tsargrad. Perla added that a vivid example is the article by former NATO commander American Admiral James Stavridis, who, in his column for Bloomberg, suggested a corresponding scenario for Ukraine.”
November 15, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“In Ukraine, there’s open talk of a state coup. Leading Western media are writing frankly: ‘Zelenskyy will be dismissed, and Zaluzhnyi will take his place.’ Then we’ll be pushed into another trap. Tsargrad TV analyzed how this might happen...
Six months of preparation for the ‘counteroffensive,’ plus unprecedented NATO weapon supplies, plus three months of meat-grinder assaults and suicidal sallies across minefields — and a complete zero in results. Worse, even. The AFU are exhausted, have lost the initiative they gained last fall, and the vaunted Western equipment is piling up as rusty metal along the entire line of contact. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians failed even to break the first line and have been beaten to a pulp. Tens of thousands killed and wounded...
The resolution of the Ukrainian conflict will not occur due to a Pentagon-planned coup in Kyiv but on the battlefield by Russian fighters. However, another option is a real, not West-staged ‘march of justice’ by the Ukrainian military on Kyiv. Sooner or later, Kyiv will have its own Akhmat Kadyrov, who will realize the futility and dead-end for Ukrainians of a civil war with their Russian brothers.”
November 27, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“Colonel-General Valery Baranov revealed the West’s plan to eliminate Zelenskyy, answering Tsargrad TV’s questions at the World Russian People’s Council...
’In the US, it’s election season, and no one needs skeletons in the closet,’ our interlocutor emphasized. ‘I think that British intelligence has the richest experience in this field of elimination, they even destroyed their princess in a car accident. And Zelenskyy is nobody to them. I believe that the decision (to eliminate — ed.) has already been made, and Zelenskyy knows about it. Remember Zelenskyy’s recent interview on this topic, where he said there were several attempts on his life, but none of them came to fruition.’
Of course, there’s already an insurance plan in case of a successful assassination attempt on Zelenskyy by Western intelligence. It would be very convenient to blame Russia. However, it must be understood that Russia initially decided not to work with such methods. International representatives even talked about this — Moscow does not harbor plans to eliminate Zelenskyy. President Vladimir Putin of Russia has repeatedly confirmed this, which Baranov pointed out: ‘Vladimir Putin said that we do not engage in terrorism. And there have been no attempts on Zelenskyy organized during the entire operation.’”
How Arakhamia Played Into the Kremlin’s Hands
The coherent and logical propaganda campaign about a “victory in spring 2024” was suddenly disrupted by Putin himself, who on November 20, at the G20 summit, declared Russia’s readiness for peace negotiations.
As Putin is the “final authority” who is never wrong, the entire Russian propaganda industry scrambled to find theses and arguments to explain why messages about “peace” and “war until complete victory” do not contradict each other.
Unexpectedly on November 22, from Kyiv, David Arakhamia in an interview with Natalia Moseichuk, provided a real boon for the Kremlin. He said that Russia was ready to sign a peace agreement, but this was hindered by the Prime Minister of Great Britain and the crimes in Bucha.
While Russia would likely have blamed the West for Ukrainian deaths and lack of peace anyway, Arakhamia’s words sounded like a confirmation of Kremlin conspiracy theories, allowing Putin’s “peacekeeping” to be portrayed as almost unachievable due to strong opposition from the West and the “Kyiv regime.”
Thanks to Arakhamia’s lapse of judgment, Russian media, in the last ten days of November, have been spreading new conspiracy theories to distract Russians from Putin’s “peace intentions” and continue shaping expectations of a Russian victory in spring 2024. Now, “peace” is being portrayed as another “trap” by the West, intended to save Ukraine from the “expected” and “inevitable” rout. It’s confidently expressed that Putin won’t be fooled, and peace negotiations will only occur in the case of Ukraine’s capitulation.
November 25, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“Konstantin Malofeev explains that we are not against continuing dialogue with the Americans. However, ‘we do not intend to see them as the world’s gendarme or “hegemon.” There’s also another fundamental condition. And we understand that before a new dialogue begins, we must achieve Victory. Without Victory, no one will talk to us on equal terms. Negotiations will become possible when the front line passes west of Kyiv, and first and foremost, these will be negotiations about Ukraine’s capitulation, and only then about further relations with the West,’ Malofeev explains.”
November 26, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“Two main goals need to be highlighted for today.
First goal. Without overthrowing the current Kyiv government, the conflict cannot be stopped. Indeed, as long as the SMO goals, namely demilitarization and denazification, are not achieved, the crisis will not end. We cannot deviate from the goal of changing power in Ukraine.
Second goal. At the same time, we need to look for other ways, besides purely military ones. Now real possibilities for this have emerged. Over time, after the start of the SMO, the characteristic features of Ukrainian society became vividly apparent. Namely, Ukrainians can never remain in allied relations for long, both with each other and with other people. Roughly speaking, someone needs to push the crowd in Kyiv towards a new Maidan.”
November 28, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“This is the explanation for what is currently happening around Ukraine, why the West changed its course (already reacted to by many Kyiv rats) and started talking about peace, without changing its ultimate goal of breaking and destroying Russia. For this, the West needs a pause in the SMO to strengthen Ukraine, which currently lacks weapons, ammunition, and money and is genuinely exhausted, having lost a lot of blood, to start everything again in a couple of years. The slight reduction of its territory will not be of principal importance: it will still be too large.
The calculation is undoubtedly also based on the idea that outrage in Russia over a debased peace, which ‘our’ oligarchy craves, will help the West in carrying out its cunning plans. If turmoil starts in Russia, the AFU, taking advantage of it, will reach the Urals. And the West will try either to throw Russia, which has recognized its vassalage, at China or use the Chinese for the division of Russia, then to deal exclusively with them. In Putin’s hands lies the fate not only of Russia but of the whole world. I am confident: lessons have been learned from past deceptions, having lost the battles for Ukraine, we will win the war and, consequently, our future as a great power.”
November 29, 2023, Tsargrad TV:
“20% of Ukraine’s territory is not a victory
As noted in his Telegram channel by popular Russian-Ukrainian blogger Yuri Podolyaka, who pointed out that ‘literally all so-called opinion leaders on that side started talking about Ukraine losing the war and that Vladimir Putin won it.’
Podolyaka exhaustively explained the matter: ‘In fact, we haven’t won anything yet, but after the failure of the summer ‘counteroffensive,’ we have an ideal chance to do so. For this, we need to finish off (destroy) the bastardly neo-Nazi Kyiv regime and not give the West a chance to restore it in any form.
This is what the West fears, and therefore they are trying to convince us that we have already won everything and that if we agree to territorial concessions by Kyiv, leaving the other (and larger) part of the country under the control of their regime (even if not with Zelenskyy at the helm), it will be our complete and unconditional victory.’”
November 29, 2023, Argumenty I Fakty:
“Ukraine, by succumbing to Western demands to reject the peace treaty in Istanbul-2022, burned bridges for negotiations. Now the point in the conflict should be made after achieving the goals and tasks of the special operation, said Roman Shkuratov, chairman of the board of the organization ‘Officers of Russia,’ reserve lieutenant colonel, commenting on revelations by the heads of delegations - assistant to the Russian President Vladimir Medinsky and leader of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada David Arakhamia.
Shkuratov noted that the SMO will now be brought to a logical conclusion, its goals, and tasks will be accomplished. ‘Our supreme commander [President] Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu have repeatedly said this. There are no other options. There is nowhere to retreat. Victory will be ours. And we need to follow this rule: we don’t leave the wounded behind. This is a very dangerous animal. We no longer need any ‘Minsk’ or ‘Istanbul.’ Ukraine, pushed in the back by Western curators, chose the path of war. We stepped on this path and will walk it to the very end,’ summarized the military.”
November 29, 2023, Kommersant.ru:
“Vladislav Surkov, a former aide to the President of the Russian Federation, stated that Moscow will not pursue agreements with Ukraine similar to the Minsk Agreements. In his view, such a development is only a dream on Bankova Street, where the office of the President of Ukraine is located. As Mr. Surkov noted, Russia is no longer a mediator, but an ‘impatient participant in a great struggle.’
’Many on Bankova secretly dream of a “Minsk-3.” In vain. There will be no “Minsk-3.” Russia has long ceased to be a mediator, patiently resolving a neighborhood squabble. Russia is now an impatient participant in a great struggle, who will take what’s theirs,’ wrote Mr. Surkov in an article for ‘Aktualnye Kommentarii.’ The former assistant to the Russian president believes that 2024 will be ‘the year of degradation and disorganization of the Ukrainian surrogate “state.”’”
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