After the SSU operation “Spiderweb” russia launched a wave of repression and intimidation
russian propaganda reports new and ongoing cases of the detention of “Ukrainian saboteurs” and “SSU agents,” both within russia and in the occupied territories. In propaganda reports, there are the typical “confessions on camera,” but no real evidence or confirmation of the authenticity of the “uncovered” conspiracies is ever made public.
These actions have several main goals.
▫️ Internal PR: Against the backdrop of putin’s silence regarding the strikes on strategic aviation airfields, russian law enforcement is trying to demonstrate that they supposedly control the situation.
▫️ Forming a convenient narrative to justify the war and intimidate the population: kremlin propaganda is promoting the image of “omnipresent Ukrainian agents” as a reason to continue the war.
▫️ Tightening the screws in the occupied territories under the guise of fighting “Ukrainian agents.”
Through such campaigns, russian government is attempting to divert attention from the real failures of the security system and further mobilize the population through fear.
