Yuri Lapaiev
Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no sign of giving up on his war against Ukraine despite limited battlefield gains. As Russia begins to experience a shortage of certain types of military equipment, its propaganda machine continues unabated and may have even expanded. Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, stated that Russia’s draft budget for 2026 would reduce military spending by approximately $2.4 billion compared to 2025, while increasing funding for state-run media by 54 percent, an additional $458 million. In Sybiha’s opinion, this draft budget realignment shows that the Kremlin is prioritizing informational warfare going forward (The New Voice of Ukraine, September 30; Telegram/@Ukraine_MFA, October 19). The target audience—including the population of the Russian Federation, citizens of Ukraine, and residents of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries and allies—dictates Moscow’s strategy.
The Kremlin’s domestic propaganda machine is designed to sustain public support for the regime and its war against Ukraine. It is designed to convince Russians that the so-called “special military operation (SVO)” has been successful and needs to continue (Lenta, October 26; President of Russia, October 29). Other narratives try to create a positive perception of the Russian economy and portray Western sanctions as ineffective (RIA Novosti, June 19, July 6; The Moscow Times, August 8). Domestic propaganda also downplays the scale and consequences of Ukrainian attacks inside Russia, for example, by falsely stating that the military shot down all Ukrainian strike drones and that only debris reached targets during a September attack (Regnum, September 12; Russian Ministry of Defense, November 1).
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