Kremlin starts training officials on how to present "victory" in war to Russians

The Presidential Executive Office of Russia (the Presidential Administration) has begun preparing regional officials to create an image of victory for Russian citizens.

Source: Kommersant and The Moscow Times, Russian media outlets; Radio Liberty

Details: This was reportedly one of the main topics at a seminar for vice-governors at the Senezh management workshop near Moscow.

One of Kommersant's sources said the Kremlin assumed Russia's war against Ukraine would end at some point, and they must be prepared for it.

In particular, it was said that society should regard the future results of the war as a victory, although different social groups perceive this differently.

"Therefore, from the point of view of the presidential administration, it is necessary to focus on the ‘quiet majority’, which will be satisfied with the achievement of goals in the war and the fact that Russia had kept occupied territories," the source said.

The Kremlin has also instructed regional authorities to work with war veterans, including their employment and rehabilitation. Otherwise, they may join protest movements or turn to crime.

Background:

• Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that US President-elect Donald Trump's plan to fulfil his promise to end the war quickly in Ukraine supposedly included the idea of freezing the line of contact with a demilitarised zone and a 20-year moratorium on Ukraine's accession to NATO.
• In an interview with Sky News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also suggested that a ceasefire agreement with Russia could be concluded if the unoccupied territories controlled by Ukraine were under NATO protection. His statement came amid the election of Republican Donald Trump as president of the United States, who had previously promised to end the war "in 24 hours", although he did not specify how.
• Nevertheless, Russia still claims that it wants to achieve its goals in the war. In particular, in June, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin made up new so-called conditions for the start of peace talks and said that Ukrainian troops should withdraw from the entire territory of four Ukrainian oblasts, and Kyiv should declare that it has no plans to join NATO.

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