An analysis of the public rhetoric of the Russian leadership reveals a deep disconnect between Putin’s theses and objective realities, as the presidential statements broadcasted at the All-Russian People’s Front forum “Everything for Victory” are a classic example of political self-suggestion.
While state propaganda persistently promotes the narrative that the Russophobic part of the collective West is waging an ongoing struggle against the Russian Federation, and the country itself is confidently moving forward and achieving successes despite pressure, the real economic and geopolitical situation shows signs of systemic crisis. Moscow’s international isolation is worsening by the month, alongside a massive fuel crisis within the country that undermines logistics and agriculture, completely contradicting the favorable reports of officials about achieving economic sovereignty.
The assertion that Russia is continuously improving its armed forces sounds frankly ambiguous against the backdrop of a severe and bloody situation on the front, where the army faces colossal losses, a shortage of modern equipment, and obvious resource depletion.
Attempts to compensate for these failures with aggressive rhetoric result in regular promises from the Kremlin to deliver mirror responses to enemy strikes, with these responses declared to be potentially several times more powerful.
This display of strength is aimed exclusively at the domestic audience, as the real capabilities of the military-industrial complex are limited by sanctions, and the escalation of the conflict only brings Russian infrastructure closer to a critical point of vulnerability.
A special place in Putin’s statements is occupied by the ritual assertion that feedback from the population is extremely important for state governance. It is claimed that the president’s directives are not empty talk but are the result of deep understanding of citizens’ appeals, although in conditions of strict suppression of dissent and the elimination of independent institutions, a real dialogue between the government and society is completely replaced by simulation. This entire pseudo-feedback system functions solely for the legitimation of decisions by one person, who uses manual structures like the ONF to demonstrate illusory national unity.
The final touch of this ideological construct is a cynical appeal to humanitarian themes, when it is declared that “the soul of a child and the formation of their views are recognized as the most important priority of the state.” Behind this benevolent formulation lies the forced militarization of school education and the imposition of aggressive propaganda on minors, whose consciousness is deliberately deformed to prepare future mobilization resources.
Putin’s concluding assertion that Russia is undoubtedly destined for victory in the “special military operation” appears as the apotheosis of political delusion and self-suggestion, intended to hide from society the catastrophic long-term consequences of the prolonged confrontation.
