The main goal of the russian propaganda media at the moment is to try to find an excuse for the unhindered shelling of russian cities. It is impossible to talk about the real reasons for the inability of the russian army to guarantee the security of its own territories, so the fantasies of the administrations of the russian regions bordering Ukraine are in play. The “most creative” turned out to be the governor of the belgorod region v.gladkov. To the journalist’s question about what can be done for the security of the border regions, he suggested “joining” Kharkiv to the belgorod region. According to gladkov, this is the best option for solving the problem of shelling in the belgorod region. This strange statement stunned even the correspondent of the propaganda publication, who questioned whether the governor believed in the reality of such a scenario. This made gladkov noticeably nervous, and then avoided a direct answer.
Does gladkov really believe that this will help “stop the shelling of his region”, or is this just a manifestation of a special information operation to “brainwash” ordinary russians?
Of course, the belgorod governor understands the absurdity of his proposal to seize Kharkiv region.
After all the events at the front do not give any reason to count on it. On the other hand, the very fact that such ideas are publicized by the head of the civil administration, and not the military, gives reason to consider this a pre-prepared special operation aimed at calming and raising the morale of border residents, which removes the responsibility for their implementation from the military command and putin as commander-in-chief.
Therefore, the problem of protecting one’s own borders acquires for the russian authorities a decisive importance for its preservation.
Since the start of the full-scale russia-Ukraine war, at least 5 sabotage groups have entered belgorod region alone. The latest operation to liberate the region from putin’s regime, carried out by russian volunteers, demonstrated the “transparency” of the border and the unwillingness of border guards and the military to detect and adequately respond to invasions in a timely manner. Against the background of the confusion of local administrations, panicky moods in the regions bordering Ukraine are becoming chaotic. While gladkov is trying to calm the residents of belgorod region with the delayed evacuation of children and assures that “there is no panic”, his wife was spotted with suitcases at the local airport.
What does this indicate?
Firstly, that the kremlin does not have the appropriate forces and means to keep the russian border with Ukraine, which is more than 1,000 kilometers long, safe. putin’s authorities recognize the futility of propaganda measures such as gladkov statements to reassure the population and are forced to accept the new status of the belgorod region as a “war zone”. However, keeping the belgorod, kursk, and voronezh regions and the krasnodar region remains russia’s main strategic goal. Therefore, the dream of “joining” Kharkiv region is presented by russian propaganda as a step to create a “buffer zone” on its territory to reduce the effectiveness of Ukrainian shelling. In Ukraine, they reacted not without sarcasm to the “idea” of the russians to solve the problem of the security of their own cities by occupying the territories of Ukraine. Thus, M. Podolyak, the adviser to the head of the President’s Office, said that Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement on the creation of a “buffer zone” in the form of a demilitarized territory, but on the territory of russia 100 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. So, during raids in the belgorod and bryansk regions, russian volunteers actually carry out operations to prepare a bridgehead for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to create a so-called demilitarized zone there.
Secondly, residents of the border regions with Ukraine – from the kursk to rostov regions – are increasingly moving away from supporting the kremlin’s course to continue the war. Moreover, separatist sentiments and criticism of the military command and local authorities are growing in the border areas. On the contrary, such groups as the “russian Volunteer Corps” and “Freedom of russia”, as well as the messages of the Ukrainian authorities regarding secession from the russian federation, are gaining much more influence in these regions. Attempts at informational “dumps” with unrealistic options to stop the shelling of the border regions of the russian federation were unsuccessful, and it is becoming more and more difficult to force these regions to be loyal to the head of the kremlin.
❗️The main result of the events in the russian border region is the constant formation of the understanding among its residents that there is an alternative to the dictatorial regime, and it is the people who are capable of destroying putin’s system of power and ending the senseless war against Ukraine. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have the combat potential not only for a counteroffensive and the liberation of their own occupied territories, but also for the liberation of the peoples of the russian federation from putin’s regime.
