Kremlin Launches PR Campaign To Stem Putin's Falling Ratings Over Kursk

Russian public opinion in support of Putin and the Ukraine war has declined significantly since Ukraine's Kursk offensive. 

Loss of Russian territory and pictures of dejected Russian POWs have shaken confidence in Putin's leadership and the purpose of the war. The Kremlin has undertaken a public relations offensive but polls indicate support has dropped five to ten percent. JL

Olha Hlushchenko reports in Ukraine Pravda:

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has noted the Kremlin is conducting a sophisticated information campaign to justify the fall in Russian leader Vladimir Putin's rating due to the Ukrainian operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. "The Kremlin has launched an intricate messaging campaign aimed at justifying to its domestic audience why Russia is prioritising offensive operations in eastern Ukraine over immediately expelling Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast, and limited acknowledgments of discontent may be a part of this campaign."

Experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have noted that the Kremlin is conducting a sophisticated information campaign to justify the fall in Russian leader Vladimir Putin's rating due to the Ukrainian operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

Source: ISW

Details: American analysts pointed out that Russian state sociological agencies have acknowledged some growth in Russians' dissatisfaction with Putin and the Russian government in the wake of Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast.

The Public Opinion Foundation, a Russian state-owned sociological institution, published a poll on 30 August conducted on 25 August that showed 28% of respondents expressed outrage or dissatisfaction with the actions of the Russian authorities over the past month.

Experts said that this is up from 25% and 18% in polls conducted by the foundation on 11 August and 28 July respectively.

Respondents to the survey have not expressed such a high level of dissatisfaction since a poll conducted in November 2022, after the first month of unpopular partial mobilisation in Russia.

 

We must recognise that societal discontent has risen since the start of Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast."

More details: It was noted in the review that the Kremlin likely hoped that limited acknowledgement of public discontent would protect it from accusations of ignoring Russian public concern over the Ukrainian invasion.

Quote: "The Kremlin appears to have launched an intricate messaging campaign aimed at justifying to its domestic audience why Russia is prioritising the maintenance of offensive operations in eastern Ukraine over immediately expelling Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast, and limited acknowledgments of discontent may be a part of this campaign."