'Putin is in control': Why Russia amplifies footage of strikes on Kyiv
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russia's publication of footage showing strikes on civilian sites in Kyiv is part of an information campaign aimed primarily at its domestic audience, according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.
According to Kovalenko, the campaign is intended to distract Russians from domestic problems, including fuel shortages, regular strikes on Russian territory, explosions, and daily attacks by Ukrainian weapons systems.
He noted that Russian authorities have traditionally restricted information about the situation in the Belgorod region and other border areas that have effectively become frontline zones. At the same time, the Kremlin has been unable to conceal the numerous videos showing fires at Russian industrial facilities.
"Moreover, Russians did not believe the official version of the deaths on a beach in Gelendzhik and mostly blamed Russian air defenses, which shot down a drone over people despite the shouting and accusations against Ukraine by Russian military bloggers and official spokespersons," Kovalenko said.
In his view, the Kremlin is now trying to shift public attention by showcasing fires in Kyiv and footage of missiles in flight.
"Russian authorities are now selling the public images of fires in Kyiv and missile launches so that the average Russian once again believes that Putin is in control. But this will not change the reality of daily strikes on Russia. The Putin regime simply does not know any other way and is therefore trying to redirect the attention of its supporters to these images," Kovalenko said.
Earlier, Kovalenko argued that the only way to reduce Russian attacks on Ukraine is to intensify Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory. According to him, sustained pressure on Russia's military and strategic facilities is the only means of forcing the aggressor to scale back the intensity of its attacks.
