The main narrative of Russian propaganda in December 2023 is centered around the inevitable defeat of Ukraine.
This narrative constitutes 30% of all mentions of Ukraine in Russian media, according to a study by IMI, which covered nine popular Russian online media outlets in December 2023.
The Russians claim that Ukraine critically lacks armaments. Following this, the narratives of "division in Ukrainian society" and "Ukraine as a bargaining chip" come in at 22.5% each. Russian propagandists assert that there is a conflict between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny, suggesting that the latter could be replaced due to his high ratings, raising fears of a potential coup.
10% of all Kremlin propaganda materials are aimed at convincing Ukrainians that the conflict will end with negotiations between Russia and the West, resulting in significant territorial losses for Ukraine.
According to IMI expert Olena Holub, "There is currently a shift in Russia's information warfare against Ukraine. Propaganda is now focused on softening its aggressive rhetoric towards Ukrainians, as narratives about Nazis in Ukraine seem to have lost their effectiveness. Instead, messages are being crafted that could find resonance within Ukrainian society. All these narratives can be summarized in a single assertion: "The West dragged Ukraine into a predestined losing war to weaken Russia, simultaneously refusing to help Ukraine, condemning it to internal conflicts and its practical destruction," according to Olena Holub.
The study was conducted from December 6 to December 10, 2023, inclusive, across nine Russian online media outlets: "Komsomolskaya Pravda," "Izvestia," RIA Novosti, "Lenta," RBC, "Moskovsky Komsomolets," "Gazeta.ru," "Rossiyskaya Gazeta," and NEWS.ru.
