Why suddenly the 'Special Operation' is called something else
**In leaked handbook, Kremlin outlines how propaganda about Ukraine war and peace offering should look
At the beginning of June, a day before the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland, Vladimir Putin's alleged peace offering causes a stir. Putin proposes that Kiev renounces NATO membership and gives up four regions in the east of the country, in exchange for which the West would lift sanctions against Russia, leading to a ceasefire. It is clear that Putin is not proposing a deal but a Ukrainian surrender. His demands correspond to Moscow's official war goals: The Kremlin aims to fully annex the four territories where its army has only partially gained control, and keep Ukraine out of the North Atlantic Alliance. Putin presents his maximum demands as a generous offer.
His peace offering is not aimed at a ceasefire or even a long-term peace in Ukraine, but at generating positive headlines in the West that will be picked up by pro-Russian forces. In line with the motto: Many will learn that Putin made a peace offering, but few will examine what's behind it.
And in Russia, Putin is increasingly portrayed as a wise peacemaker who is ready to compromise and sets himself up for world peace. A day after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in early July, during which Putin confirmed his negotiating readiness, the critical exile media "Meduza" reported on a handbook that the presidential administration is said to have distributed to state media. In this instruction, it is explained how propagandists should report on Putin's peace offering and the war in Ukraine.
"The main architect of a multipolar world order"
The media are advised to refer to the conflict as the "Ukrainian conflict" or "Ukrainian crisis." In fact, the term "military special operation," which has been commonly used in Kremlin media since the beginning of the war, is becoming increasingly rare in their reports. On the website of the state news agency "Interfax," for example, there were only 51 articles in which the term appeared between June 11 and July 11. At the same time, there were 106 articles in which the terms "Ukrainian crisis" or "Ukrainian conflict" were mentioned. In the same period last year, the situation was completely reversed: Within a month, 121 articles appeared in which the term "military special operation" was mentioned, and a total of only 52 in which the terms "Ukrainian crisis" or "Ukrainian conflict" were used.
A large part of the instructions that "Meduza" claims to have obtained concerns the "multipolar world order," which has become a reality thanks to a "personal and decisive contribution" by Vladimir Putin. Russian propagandists are encouraged to report more on the end of US hegemony. Now, the rapidly developing states of the "majority world," to which Russia also belongs, have "a leading role in the world." The presidential administration advises Russian media to refer to the SCO and the BRICS as "the most influential organizations that have cast a shadow over Western structures," and to Russia itself as "the main architect of a multipolar world order in the Eurasian region."**
## "We are peace makers, we want to end the war"
According to Putin's "proposal" in the Kremlin handbook for key figures: "Russia's peace initiative can end the conflict in Ukraine in the shortest time." And further: "If Kiev and the West are ready, this Russian-proposed plan will enable the immediate cessation of hostilities and the commencement of negotiations," the instructions state.
Sociologist Dmitrij Dobrowskij of the University of Prague told the Russian-speaking television channel "Current Time," based in the Czech Republic: "The new propaganda slogan is meant to reassure the war-weary Russians a little. It's important for authoritarian regimes to maintain control over the population, even if it sounds strange." Dobrowskij explained. The Kremlin wants to calm the population by telling them: "We are trying, we are holding on. The damned West is to blame. And we are peace makers, we want to end the war."
Western experts do not believe that Putin is ready for negotiations. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Michail Galusin announced today that Moscow would not participate in another peace summit with Ukraine. The Russian army attacks civilians daily - at least 30 people died in Kiev alone at the beginning of the week in an air raid, which further confirms that Putin's "peace offering" is nothing more than an ultimatum.
What could happen to Ukraine if it accepts "the offer," Medvedev, Russia's former president, made clear. The deputy chairman of the Security Council wrote in a Telegram post that Russia's peace offering is not a genuine one. Even if peace talks result in signed documents and "defeat is acknowledged," the "remaining radicals, after regrouping their forces, will come to power sooner or later," Medvedev wrote.
This is the time for Russia to "finally put down the beast." The Russian leadership views those it calls "radicals" as the pro-Western government of Volodymyr Zelensky and his supporters. In this context, Medvedev also wrote about returning the remaining Ukrainian territories "into the embrace of the Russian homeland," meaning the annexation of the entire Ukraine.
- Dmitri Medvedev, Russia's former president, criticized Putin's peace offering towards Ukraine, suggesting that it was not a genuine peace proposal and that the "remaining radicals" would seize power again if Ukraine accepted the offer.
- The Kremlin has been promoting its peace initiative as a solution to end the conflict in Ukraine, with Russian media advising to refer to it as Russia's "peace initiative" that can "end the conflict in the shortest time."
- In a leaked handbook, the Kremlin outlined how propaganda about the Ukraine war and peace offering should be presented, suggesting that the conflict should be referred to as the "Ukrainian conflict" or "Ukrainian crisis," while the term "military special operation" became increasingly rare.
- Putin's peace offering towards Ukraine, proposed before the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland, caused a stir as it included demands that correspond to Moscow's official war goals, including renouncing NATO membership and relinquishing control of four regions in the east of the country.
