Ukraine's New Communications Doctrine: Putin Accepts Narratives of Ukrainian Victory

Українською читайте тут.

I started the series of publications, "The New Communications Doctrine of Ukraine," in the spring of 2022. Here are the materials that have already been included in it:

On the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrinform presented the results of the work of experts who had been working within the framework of a strategic session organized by the Institute of the Post-Information Society, as well as the Manifesto for Sustainable Peace, created by a huge and very respected team of authors. The material about the results of this work was almost ready when Putin's video appeared online, in which he actually legitimized the scenario of the end of the war that we had written. Therefore, the article had to be rewritten because what we had only dreamed of had become a reality.

Putin legitimized the narrative of Russia's decolonization

In a previous article, I said that the narrative we should be pushing to the West is about "the transformation of Russia, which can lead to the revival of suppressed identities and the decolonization of peoples enslaved by the empire."

When I talked to dozens of colleagues from Western European countries and the United States, I was told no one would even address this subject because they "don't want to provide fodder for Kremlin propaganda." After all, then we would have to allegedly refute the fact that the West wants to partition Russia.

I tried to counter my counterparts' concerns in two ways. First, I pointed out that what they feared had already happened. The Russian political and media establishment is now obsessed with the idea that the West is out to break up Russia. Second, I argued that sensitive issues couldn't be decided based solely on the preferences of people in the Kremlin. Despite years of anti-LGBT propaganda in Russia, the civilized world, including Ukraine, continues to talk about the importance of LGBT pride. So why should we ignore the Russian media's propaganda about LGBT pride but not discuss the urgent need to decolonize the peoples who are still oppressed by the Russian Empire? Human rights come first, after all.

Our Western colleagues have no straightforward answer to this question. They often respond with, "you don't understand, it's different!" But the real reason they refuse to continue this discussion is that they're afraid. They're paralyzed by fear. However, today Vladimir Putin himself took a significant step towards alleviating this fear by speaking important words. Among them was the peculiar term "rasskassirovat" (a military term meaning “to disband by distributing elsewhere”), which was used by propaganda Telegram channels a year ago to explain the policy towards Ukraine.

The key ideas put forth by Putin accurately reflect the reasons why Ukraine's victory is an existential necessity for the whole world.

Firstly, he acknowledged that "the Russian Federation is the main part of the Soviet Union," a totalitarian state that was built on the genocide of its constituent ethnic groups. The collapse of the Soviet Union will never be complete as long as the Russian Federation remains its primary monolithic component.

Secondly, Putin also recognizes that "the ethnic groups oppressed by the Russian Federation will be welcomed into the family of civilized nations." This is true since everyone living in the post-Soviet space deserves democratic development and should be able to control their own destiny. However, as long as the imperialistic nature of the Russian Federation persists, these peoples, including Russians who need to take responsibility for their role in unleashing aggression, cannot be included in the civilized family.

Thirdly, Putin predicts that the West is seeking to "bring these ethnic groups under its control." However, he is most likely referring to the imagined control that he believes the United States has over Ukraine, a notion that can be easily refuted. In fact, if the United States had any control over Ukraine, it would have ceased to exist a long time ago. Western intelligence had previously given Ukraine 72 hours, but over 365 days have elapsed, proving that there is no such control.

Fourthly, Putin acknowledges that if Russia is de-imperialized, "the fate of many peoples of Russia, and first of all the Russian people, can change dramatically." It is impossible to disagree with this, as without the imperial system of governance, the development of the various ethnic groups in Russia would be highly accelerated. This, in turn, will be facilitated by the swift restoration of trade and economic relations between individual state entities that will emerge in Russia and countries worldwide. The constant political risk emanating from the Kremlin and Gazprom will simply vanish, allowing for normal business-as-usual operations.

Fifthly, Putin expresses concern that "such an ethnic group as the 'Russian people' will not be able to survive in the form it is today." This assertion is also difficult to refute, as the "Russian people" are currently playing the role of the titular nation in an empire that oppresses and assimilates other ethnic groups. Thus, they cannot survive in their current form.

Hence, Vladimir Putin has aided in constructing a more coherent narrative for the inhabitants of Russian territory: "The destruction of the imperial and totalitarian legacy of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation as its main part is an inevitable historical process that will sooner or later come to an end. When people living in the territory affected by imperialism are able to throw off the totalitarian yoke, they will become part of the civilized world, where they will not have to be ashamed of their Russian passport and the names "Uralic" or "Siberians" or even "Muscovites" (if someone wants to call themselves that) will not be some kind of curse or humiliation, but will cause respectful attitude.

No one else will tell these people which governor to obey, where and to whom to give their money, with whom to go to war, and where to send their sons and daughters to die. The only control that exists over these people is the control of the imperial KGB officers. Neither the United States nor any other state of the mythical West aims to control anyone or turn them into slaves. Only Putin himself has such an intention.

The fate of the peoples living in the totalitarian empire will change. They will become free and will be in charge of their own destiny. If they want to live as part of a federation or confederation, they will make this decision on their own and create a constitutional agreement to that effect. The rights of all ethnic groups, including the "Russian" one, will be preserved. But none of them will be able to dominate the others anymore."

How to open a competition for Russia restructuring managers

Our Western partners often repeat that the destiny of Russia should be determined by its own people. However, it was Vladimir Putin who emphasized that the "people of Russia" are a synthetic entity, artificially constructed from various ethnic groups who were not allowed to express their own identities and were compelled to identify as Russians. If the Russians have the right to shape their future, then the Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Udmurts, Chechens, Maris, Kabardians, Balkars, and other ethnic groups have an equal right to decide their own future, including the Ossetians, Buryats, Yakuts, Ingushes, Komi Permyaks, Karachays, Kalmyks, Adygeans, Pontian Greeks, Nogais, Khakas, Altaians, Circassians, Evenks, Khanty, Chukchi, Meskhetians, Shapsugs, and many others. Yet, no one in the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation ever asked them about their aspirations. Therefore, Russia's failure can potentially become a triumph for these groups in their struggle for freedom.

However, in order to understand the vision of the future held by these various ethnic groups, it is essential to engage in a dialogue with their representatives. Unfortunately, the registered Russian liberals have not yet expressed their views on this matter. It took Alexei Navalny almost a year of the war to officially acknowledge that restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity within the 1991 borders appears to be the only viable option.

Representatives of Russia's liberal opposition abroad, such as Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Vladimir Milov, publicly reject the idea of negotiations with any party. They solely rely on Western countries to implement their proposals, which requires Ukraine first to defeat Putin in a war. However, they do not disclose the details of their plan to the Ukrainians, nor do they engage in discussions with them.

Thus, it becomes apparent that the need for a healthy discussion about the notion of "good Russians" in Ukrainian society is no longer relevant. The concept itself loses its significance. A true representation of a "good Russian" is someone akin to the "Uralic" people, whom Vladimir Putin holds in contempt. Nonetheless, it is crucial to note that this designation applies only to those who identify themselves as Uralic and recognize their similarities and differences with a "good Russian."

It is worth noting that Moscow has been systematically instilling hatred towards the Uralic people in general and Yekaterinburg in particular. The latest round of controversies surrounding Yevgeny Prigozhin centered on his recent dispute with the governor of the Sverdlovsk region, Yevgeny Kuyvashev. This animosity was also evident in Putin's brief statement, in which he deemed Muscovites and the Uralic people as second-class citizens.

This leads us to the notion that among the Uralic and other ethnic groups residing in Russia, there are many who support Putin's war against Ukraine. However, there may come a time when they will be willing and capable of serving as managers in restructuring Russia, transforming it from an empire to a nation where regions have the right to defend their interests.

Our responsibility, therefore, is to identify these potential managers and establish a working relationship with them during the inevitable and rapid restructuring of Russia.

Ukraine's victory as a franchise

It is widely known that, from a communication standpoint, the Ukrainian war has become a kind of "lifesaver" for many European politicians who faced domestic political problems in their respective countries. For them, Kyiv has become a source of power, and their visits to Volodymyr Zelenskyy have acted as a form of indulgence for their political shortcomings.

In exchange for this "place of power," these politicians have provided Ukraine with financial aid, weapons, political support, and encouraging words. Our goal is to improve and enhance this mutually beneficial exchange.

The victory of Ukraine over existential evil should be celebrated worldwide as a triumph of the human spirit. Europeans, in particular, should perceive it as a victory for the European idea, which has demonstrated its strength through Ukraine's resilience. Africans, on the other hand, should see it as a victory against colonial policies and for the sovereignty of nations. And Indians should recognize the tangible benefits that Ukraine's victory brings.

Undoubtedly, the European Union will play a vital role in this process, and our communication efforts are directed towards it. However, Paris, Berlin, and Brussels have yet to demonstrate a complete understanding of the possible scenarios to overcome the current situation. Furthermore, Vienna and Budapest, who the Russians themselves refer to as "descendants of the Austro-Hungarian Empire" on their Telegram channels, are supporting Russian imperialists and contributing to their aggression against Ukraine.

It is crucial to convince Western Europe that returning to business as usual can only happen after Ukraine emerges victorious. This victory will result in a more profitable, safer, and more stable environment for Western partners without unpredictable partners like Gazprom or the Kremlin. Additionally, Ukraine's triumph in the war will enhance the security situation at the borders of the European Union, as illustrated by the recent events where Russia and Belarus used the "migration weapon" to transport refugees from the Middle East through Belarus and threaten the borders of Lithuania and Poland. Ukraine's victory will strengthen and push the borders of the European Union further east.

The victory of Ukraine in this war will benefit every inhabitant of this planet, including those currently living in Russia under the internal occupation of the totalitarian terrorist regime.

Screenshot of a video from a Russian propaganda Telegram channel