Kremlin asks propagandists not to write about the duration of the invasion to deflect Russians’ attention

ALONA MAZURENKO — Thursday, 2 June 2022, 16: 44

On the eve of the hundredth day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin asked Russian state media not to focus on the duration of the Russian invasion.

Source: "Meduza" with reference to their sources

Details: The Russian presidential administration "has asked" state and pro-government media outlets "not to replicate the topic of 100 days of the special military operation" and "not to focus" the attention of readers and viewers on the duration of the war.

It is noted that this has been done so that Russians will reflect less on the fact that over  three months Russian troops have not made progress.

This was reported by four sources at the same time: one of the state media of the Russian Federation, Moscow City Hall, one of the pro-government publications, and also the Presidential Administration of Russia.

Online broadcasts about the war and the pro-government Russian tabloids, "Komsomolskaya Pravda"  and "Moskovskiy Komsomolets", show only the current date.

Nor is the duration of the invasion specified online by the Russian state-owned news agency  "TASS".

Nor is it being mentioned in the news bulletins of Channel One Russia and Russia-1, or the main pages of RIA Novosti and the Russian-language version of RT.

Quote by the interlocutor from the Presidential Administration of Russia: "Focusing on war-related dates may make Russians think about the goals and success of the invasion.

When talking about a round-figure date, questions always arise: What have you managed to achieve so far? This has been the case since Soviet times, when there were five-year plans, expectations for them, and so on. It turns out that now there is almost nothing to show to date. They can say that some settlements have been captured, but their names mean nothing to people. Is it a lot or too little?  Are the goals of the "operation" close to being achieved or not yet?".

Details: In addition, the Kremlin "does not want to give a reminder" that the invasion has been going on for more than three months.

A source close to the Russian Presidential Administration, referring to the results of closed opinion polls, noted that many Russians are already sure: the "special operation" is dragging on.

Quote from an interlocutor close to the Kremlin: "Nothing is yet known about its goals other than the "denazification" and "demilitarization" of Ukraine. People don't understand these words, but they do see that the fighting has been going on for a long time.

Before the "operation", they were taught that Ukraine is a weak state. But now it turns out that a quick victory over it is impossible".

Details: In a media comment Dmitry Peskov, the press-secretary of the president of the Russian Federation, in a media comment, disagreed that the "special operation" had dragged on: "Such operations cannot have clearly defined timing."

When asked whether there were any instructions from the Kremlin regarding media coverage of the duration of the war, Peskov did not answer.

A source close to the Russian Presidential Administration, citing closed polls, said that the premise of a confrontation between Russia and the West was "better understood" by Russians.

In particular, the source explains: "If the battle is with all of NATO - a very strong opponent, and not with Ukraine, then people understand that a quick victory can not be expected."