Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody is a politics and international relations academic at The Open University and specialises in communication, misinformation and security, particularly in Russia. Here she talks about what Putin’s latest visit to Kherson means, his new plan for drafting men into the Russian army and how he continues to manage dissent.
Dr Chatterje-Doody
President Putin’s recent visit to occupied Kherson was portrayed by the Kremlin as an exercise in military consultation but given that his leadership style is not particularly consultative, that’s clearly not the full story.
Yet it follows widely reported comments from the head of the Wagner military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that the time is ripe for Russia to consolidate its gains with a decisive end to the conflict before the people start looking for scapegoats to blame for it dragging on.
Whilst the visit could provide cover for a change in Russian tactics, the introduction of electronic draft notices and a revamped military recruitment campaign targeting “real men” at home suggest that this is not the likeliest outcome and that Putin is keeping his options open to mobilise more fighters.
Digital draft notices
He has just signed a law allowing digital draft notices. Prior to this people were given a written notice but this new law means it is harder to avoid conscription.
Just sending the digital notice makes it official, even if it hasn’t been read, raising fears of a new wide-scale military call up.
Critics say that now is the time to wind down the war and focus on the territory Russia now holds. It officially annexed Kherson towards the end of last year, but only partially controls it due to an almost immediate Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Criticism of the war illegal
While Prigozhin has the might to speak more freely than some, even he was careful not to criticise Putin directly. Criticism of the war is effectively illegal and can have quite serious ramifications. Take Kremlin opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza.
The journalist/human rights activist who is outspoken on the war was recently sentenced to 25 years in jail by a Moscow court for spreading “disinformation” about Russia’s war effort, supposedly amounting to treason.
It is no coincidence that the judge handing out this term is already under international sanctions, which Kara-Murza had actively campaigned for. His stiff sentence is part of a wider campaign to convince the broader Russian population that it’s not worth the risk speaking out individually or organising more generally.
If people can’t express how they are feeling it is more difficult to stimulate a social movement to concretise those horizontal ties that would be necessary for any sort of actual resistance to what is going on.
So what of this latest visit? It is clear that once again Putin’s PR style leaves a lot to be desired. His formal conversations with military officials, a safe distance from the action, contrast starkly with President Zelensky’s recent frontline trips to award medals to injured soldiers.
The unflattering contrast with Zelensky or with the “real men” TV campaign won’t make it to Russian TV, of course. But for audiences following the conflict online, it’s the stuff that memes are made of.
Picture credit: Alex Vog for Shutterstock
