Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have pointed out that the Kremlin is conducting multi-faceted information efforts aimed at curbing Western support for Ukraine and undermining Europe’s participation in the peace process.

Source: ISW

Details: The Kremlin has recently stepped up three main rhetoric strategies aimed at swaying Western decision-making in its favour: alleging that European countries are deliberately prolonging the war in Ukraine, issuing nuclear threats to Western states and asserting that Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable.

Key Kremlin figures, including spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), have suggested that European nations are seeking to prolong the war in Ukraine, seemingly trying to reintroduce this longstanding Russian narrative into Western discourse and undermine US confidence in European governments.

Dmitriev is frequently used by the Kremlin to promote Russia’s interests in the West, particularly on matters relating to the peace process in Ukraine and international sanctions, often through English-language media platforms.

On 31 August, Russian Security Council Chair Dmitry Medvedev criticised French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz via his English-language X (Twitter) account regarding their involvement in US-led efforts to end the war.

Medvedev stated that Merz and Macron have “forgotten the lessons” of the Second World War and warned that “things could end up like they did in 1945 – [Macron and Merz] too may end up being identified by their teeth”.

By evoking the memory of the US atomic bombings, Medvedev appears to be issuing a threat to France and Germany for their support of Ukraine in the peace process. He also described Russian territorial gains as “bad news” for Macron and Merz.

Quote from ISW: "These various rhetorical lines seek to bolster the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD)'s recently intensified effort to falsely portray Russian victory in Ukraine as inevitable.

The MoD attempted to use large amounts of qualitative data to make claims about Russian advances – data and claims which ISW assesses are inflated."

Details: ISW added that the Kremlin is intensifying its information efforts because its territorial gains remain disproportionately limited and slow compared to its high losses.

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