Russian propaganda claims victory over Ukraine: Expert explains why these statements benefit Putin

What preceded

Recently, Russian propaganda began spreading fake news claiming that Russia had allegedly achieved the goals of its "special military operation" and defeated Ukraine.

A "seminar" was held in Russia for vice-governors, organized by the administration of Russian President Putin. During this "seminar," issues related to the war in Ukraine were discussed. In particular, work was done on the "image of victory" for Russia, as well as the attitudes of Russians towards the so-called SVO (special military operation).

What Zahorodniy says

According to the expert, such statements by the Russians are primarily aimed at the Ukrainian audience. This way, Russia may try to distract the attention of Ukrainians.

"The Russians cannot quickly stop their military machine, even if they stop the war tomorrow. Putin has essentially achieved nothing of what he wanted. Ukraine remains a militarized, hostile state that will work on revenge against Russia, and work on the collapse of Russia because this is a matter of our survival. This process will continue," says Zahorodniy.

He reminded that the Russian military economy is currently heavily ramped up, and moreover, Putin has signed a record budget for this purpose. That is why it will be difficult to stop it.

"It's like driving a car and suddenly slamming on the brakes, and if there’s no seatbelt, you fly out through the windshield. This means that some next war must still take place. It could be NATO – Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia – or Georgia and Armenia. That’s why I don't believe what they are writing; it’s a disinformation campaign," the expert stated.

Earlier, we reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on Russia's 2025 budget. The Russian Federation will allocate a record amount for the war. As noted by Russian state media, the Russian government has projected budget revenues of over 40 trillion rubles.