Kremlin orders its media to compare events in Kursk Oblast to 1943 Battle of Kursk

The Vladimir Putin administration has spent nearly three days deliberating on how the Russian media should cover the military operation in Kursk Oblast. They have decided to draw comparisons to the 1943 Battle of Kursk and to reassure the public that Putin "will not leave anyone in trouble". [The 1943 Battle of Kursk was a decisive World War II battle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, marked by the largest tank battle in history and a significant Soviet victory that halted German offensives on the Eastern Front - ed.]

Source: Meduza, a Latvia-based Russian media outlet

Details: Meduza has found that the Kremlin ordered state-run and loyal media outlets "not to escalate the situation" around the Kursk Oblast raid.

Two employees of such media outlets told Meduza about this. The media are advised to avoid discussions about the opening of a "new front" and to compare what is happening to the 1943 Battle of Kursk during World War II.

Additionally, journalists have been instructed not to mention the potential advance of Ukrainian troops towards the city of Kurchatov, where the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is located, to prevent public concern over a "nuclear threat".

Instead of mentioning the nuclear power plant, the media should talk about the "successes of Russian forces", which are supposedly preventing Ukrainian troops from advancing deeper into Kursk Oblast. Journalists are advised to focus on "Ukrainian attacks on civilians" and emphasise that "children were injured" during these bombardments.

Another suggested focus for news stories is the "unity and cohesion of people" who are visiting blood donation centres and accommodating evacuated residents from the Sudzha district of Kursk Oblast.

However, journalists are advised to emphasise the "efforts" of the federal authorities, Vladimir Putin, and the government, highlighting that they "do not leave anyone in trouble".

Meduza sources in pro-Kremlin media outlets note that they received the order only on Thursday afternoon, almost three days after the start of the Kursk Oblast raid. They assume that the Kremlin did not fully grasp the scale of the situation, so they could not draw up the guidelines more quickly.

Background:

• On the morning of 6 August, Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of Russia's Kursk Oblast, claimed that Ukrainian forces had mounted an attempt to infiltrate the Sudzha and Korenevo districts of Kursk Oblast. Russian propagandists and milbloggers are claiming that Ukrainian forces have secured a foothold in the border area. Russian ruler Vladimir Putin called the situation a "provocation".
• Ukraine has not yet commented on the events in Kursk Oblast.
• A state of emergency was declared on the second day of the border breach in Kursk Oblast.
• Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have analysed the available data and confirmed the advance of Ukrainian troops up to 10 km deep into Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

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