For example, according to Smeets, Putin would do his best to keep the Russian population in the dark that not much would happen. “In Moscow he did it by decorating the city in a more fairy-tale way than Moscow has ever been decorated during the holidays,” she says. ‘Never before have so many lights on, or the show on television been so long. That’s how he tells Muscovites that the war won’t touch them.’
And Putin’s tactics work, Smeets thinks. “He affects ordinary people who might think quite critically,” he continues. “But they get overwhelmed the moment they cross the city.”
Military
But, according to Smeets, there should be no misunderstanding about this. Putin has repeatedly made it clear to his people that the country is at war. For example, the traditional New Year’s speech did not take place in front of a large Christmas tree on Red Square, but was joined by dressed soldiers and proclaimed that Russia is at war with the collective West.
However, the reason it engages its people, Smeets continues, is because it turns it into an “existential struggle” that would be comparable to the First Patriotic War against Napoleon and the Great Patriotic War against Hitler. “The images of Napoleon and Hitler are actually being carried over for the Russian people,” he says. “They want to make it clear that this war against Ukraine and the collective West is a comparable battle. And that is decisive for Russia.’
‘Done’
According to Smeets, the Russian population is being told that it is “closed” with the Russians if the war is lost. “And in such a fight there is no middle ground, no reason to prepare minds inside Russia for possible negotiations.”