The Kremlin has issued a list of guidelines for Russian state media on how to cover Ukraine’s impending counter-offensive, independent news agency Meduza said on Tuesday.
The guidelines, which recommended emphasizing the fact that Ukraine is being armed by NATO while discouraging any suggestion that Kiev is underprepared, appear aimed at giving Moscow a chance to positively influence any outcome of the expected counterattack.
“If Ukraine, with the help of weapons from the US and Europe, succeeds and occupies some territories, it will [Russian] The loss will be understandable: the entire West has concentrated enormous efforts on the front, but its achievements – compared to those efforts – are very modest,” a source close to the Kremlin told Meduza.
However, if the Ukrainian counter-offensive fails, the Kremlin can boast that the Russian army has successfully repelled an attack by superior enemy forces, Meduza quoted his sources as saying.
The Kremlin has also appeared to have told state media to avoid mentioning how much of the state budget is earmarked for restoring infrastructure in Russia’s occupied territories of Ukraine, fearing its size could spark public resentment .
Instead, the Kremlin recommends state media to focus on more accountable reconstruction projects, such as how “problems will be solved” and how schools, kindergartens and hospitals will be rebuilt in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Additionally, the Kremlin called for “less fuss” about this year’s preparations for May 9, the country’s annual holiday marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Several Russian regions have already canceled this year’s Victory Day Parades over security concerns, while authorities in Moscow have made the unprecedented decision to ban access to Red Square, where President Vladimir Putin will attend the May 9 parade, for two weeks in advance Victory Day celebrations.