03 October 2022, Monday, 09:59 678

Due to defeats at front and opaque mobilization, propagandists beginning to turn away from the Kremlin – ISW

Редактор: Roman Vaniyan

The defeat of the Russian Federation in Lyman in the Donetsk Region and the Kharkiv Region and the Kremlin's inability to conduct a transparent and effective partial mobilization have radically changed the information space in Russia, and now even propagandists are criticizing the military leadership of the Russian Federation and complaining about the lack of transparency regarding the course of the war.

This follows from a statement by the ISW Institute for the Study of War.

Thus, it is noted that Kremlin-sponsored media and Russian militiamen - the well-known Telegram community consisting of Russian military correspondents, former confidantes, and nationalists - mourn the loss of Lyman and simultaneously criticize the bureaucratic failures of the partial mobilization.

"Sources in the Kremlin and media bloggers explain the defeat around Lyman and the Kharkiv Region with the inability of the Russian military to adequately provide and strengthen Russian forces in the north of Donbas and complain about the lack of transparency regarding the course of the war," the report says.

Also, some guests of heavily edited Kremlin television programs, which aired on October 1, even criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to annex four Ukrainian regions.

Kremlin propagandists no longer hide their dismay at the partial mobilization, often discussing the illegal mobilization of some men and drawing attention to problems such as alcoholism among the newly mobilized.

Speaking on live television, some expressed concern that the mobilization would not create the forces needed to regain the initiative on the battlefield, given the low quality of Russian reserves.

The Russian information space has significantly deviated from the narratives of the Kremlin and the Russian Ministry of Defense that the situation is generally under control.

It is noted that Russia's defeat in Lyman caused even more confusion and negativity in the Russian information space than the withdrawal of Russians from Kyiv, Zmiinyi Island or even Kharkiv.

Lyman's influence is probably greater because the Russians now fear being mobilized to solve problems on the battlefield.

Criticism on Russian federal channels after the Kremlin passed a law that threatens Russians with up to 15 years in prison for "discrediting the army" is a very unusual development for Kremlin propaganda shows.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the statements of Kadyrov and Prigozhin, American experts note, publicly undermine the authority of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

On October 1, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the withdrawal of troops from Lyman, allegedly to more favorable defense boundaries.

According to Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, after the release of Lyman, the de-occupation of the Luhansk Region will begin.