Russia rewrites defeat as victory | Eastern Express

The war against Ukraine is putting pressure on Russia not just on the battlefield, but also on the story Vladimir Putin tells Russians about power, sacrifice, and victory. A briefly published and then deleted article in Moscow suggested that Russia has sometimes benefited domestically after losing wars abroad, raising questions about how the Kremlin might prepare society for disappointment. At the same time, analysts warn against assuming that Russia is on the verge of collapse, since the Russian state has survived previous crises through repression, adaptation, and control. But military setbacks, economic strain, elite anxiety, and public fatigue may still create a dangerous “perfect storm” for Putin’s regime.

In this episode of Eastern Express, host Benjamin Lee and his guest, Rasmus Nilsson, lecturer of Slavic and East European Studies at University College London, examine whether Moscow is preparing not for victory, but for the narrative management of defeat.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Russia’s original maximalist war aims and their graduał erosion
04:07 Introduction: Managing the defeat
07:16 Interview: Three messaging camps inside Russia
09:28 Interview: Distrust, apathy, and waning patriotism under economic strain
15:00 Interview: Rebranding the stalemate
18:33 Eastern News Flash

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