ISW: Z-propagandists Catch The Kremlin In A Lie
- 1.12.2025, 10:35
The Russians' successes are greatly exaggerated.
The Kremlin continues to spread the false narrative that political stability and the front lines in Ukraine are on the verge of collapse in an attempt to persuade the West to capitulate to Russian demands that Russia cannot militarily secure, warns in its new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The ISW analysts drew attention to the words of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said on November 30 on state propaganda Russian TV that Ukraine's internal problems and its problems on the battlefield are allegedly worsening by the day. Peskov also baselessly accused the Ukrainian authorities of slowing down the peace negotiation process (although, as ISW reminds us, Ukrainian delegations have been regularly engaged in active discussions about the terms of the U.S.-proposed peace agreement since reports of the agreement surfaced in mid-November 2025 - with Ukraine having tentatively already agreed to terms to which Russia had not yet agreed).
The Institute for the Study of War suggests that Peskov's new statements are likely part of a consolidated information campaign by the Krr This campaign is designed to create pressure on Ukraine and the West to immediately agree to Russia's demands before the situation for Ukraine worsens, the ISW explains.
Even Russian "war correspondents" contradict the Kremlin's attempts to portray Russia's victory in the war against Ukraine as inevitable in their statements. One of them, while claiming that the tactical situation on the battlefield, particularly near Gulyaypol, is favorable for the occupants, simultaneously stated that the Russian state media's coverage of Russian advances on the front once again resembles "joyful and daffy pink hat-getting delirium." He stated that Russia continues to face a human resource shortage and that the current volunteer recruitment campaign is not generating enough manpower to demobilize Russian personnel. In addition, former Russian officer and imprisoned ultranationalist Igor Girkin stated in a recent letter published in late November that Russia will not be able to turn its advances in the Gulyaypol and Orekhov area into operational-level gains without sufficient reserves to utilize these tactical advances. Girkin also recalled that Russia's six-month-long Russian offensive on Kupyansk has yet to result in the capture of the city and called the occupiers' efforts to capture towns such as Pokrovsk, Volchansk, Seversk and Liman "secondary".
He believes that these efforts are only tactical, will not be rapid, will not reduce the overall combat effectiveness of the Ukrainian military and will not lead to the collapse of the front line. Girkin also hinted that Russia has enough troops to support a tactical advance, but lacks the necessary reserves and resources to achieve its strategic goals - which include capturing cities such as Dnipro, Zaporizhzhya and Kharkiv.