The Kremlin downplays the devastating Ukrainian attack on Russian military airfields and looks for excuses to divert attention, helplessly recycling old lies about terrorism and the "Anglo-Saxons".
The past week has certainly been difficult for the Kremlin spin doctors. The precisely measured Ukrainian operation "Cobweb" has captured several strategic military airfields in Russia and at the same time blocked the Kremlin's disinformation mechanism, the East Stratcom Task Force of the European Union's Diplomatic Service wrote in its analysis of the Kremlin's current propaganda campaigns.
The collapse of a railway bridge in the Bryansk region and the surprise underwater attack on the Crimean bridge further deepened the dilemma in Moscow: how to maintain the version that Ukraine is "on the brink" while Russian territory is literally burning? The answer is classic - downplay weaknesses and divert attention elsewhere.
Silence at the top
On June 1, Ukraine revealed its cards and launched Operation "Spiderweb" - bold and well-coordinated drone strikes on five Russian military air bases - from Siberia to Murmansk. Initial estimates suggest the damage was severe, and the Russian military was caught completely by surprise.
The same goes for the Kremlin propaganda machine, right down to the highest levels. While the military command grudgingly admitted that "several pieces of military equipment caught fire", Putin himself remained silent for days after the attacks.
Even Vladimir Solovyov - one of the most vocal and aggressive Kremlin propagandists - spoke with unusual restraint, calling the successful Ukrainian operation simply "unpleasant incidents". Unusual self-control from a man who regularly threatens Western European capitals with nuclear annihilation. Or - far more likely - the instructions from the Kremlin (the so-called "temnyk" with supporting points) have simply not arrived yet.
Salvation in the old lies
In the absence of instructions from above, the Kremlin disinformation network quickly returned to the well-known and "safe" lies, suitable for any situation.
Downplay the blow;
Make Ukraine guilty and present Russia as a victim;
Set in motion absurd conspiracies;
Maintain the myth of an invincible Russia and add a pinch of nuclear weapons rattling for more certainty.
One of the favorite methods of pro-Kremlin propaganda is to present Ukrainian actions as terrorist attacks. Therefore, the information space quickly filled with claims that the strikes on Russian military airfields were "Ukrainian terrorist acts".
Almost all media controlled by the Kremlin presented the operation against completely legitimate military targets as terrorism.
This line goes hand in hand with the suggestion that Ukraine has already lost the war and is attacking Russia only to derail peace talks. In reality, however, the Ukrainian strikes are evidence of Kiev's determination to achieve peace - because Ukraine knows very well that the path to peace with Russia lies in taking away its ability to wage war. And that is precisely the goal of Operation "Spiderweb".
Belittle Ukraine, blame the West
Another surefire line in the propagandists' repertoire is the suggestion that Ukraine is not capable of inflicting such serious damage. This doubt is then used to spread conspiracies. In this case, that British strategists were behind the attacks, or that London is using Ukraine to undermine the Russian nuclear triad.
And, as always, when the Kremlin faces humiliation and failure, reminders of the Russian nuclear arsenal also appear. This supposedly "academic" discussion of Russian nuclear doctrine is actually a well-measured nuclear weapons chatter - a tactic by which the Kremlin aims to impose false "red lines".
The face of failure in total control of information
Moscow's chaotic and paralyzed response to Operation Spider Web once again demonstrates the weaknesses of Russia's authoritarian model of total control of information. When something unpredictable happens, all eyes turn to the top, and if the "tsar" remains silent, subordinates are left without ideological support.
After the terrorist attack on "Crocus City Hall" in 2024, Putin was absent from the public space for 19 hours - and during this period the disinformation machine fell into a stupor. In the end, it adopted the familiar line - diverting attention from the fire in the rear. The same thing is happening now, in an attempt to downplay the effect of Operation "Spider Web".
The same cracks in the system were clearly visible during the failed "Wagner" mutiny, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, when Putin appeared with an official address only after almost two days. During this time, the propaganda machine panicked.
It recovered then, as it will likely do now, but the cracks are already visible. And they will remain so as Ukraine continues to shatter the myth of Russian invincibility.