Kremlin prepares Russians for "new normality" in Kursk region fighting

Meduza reported the information, citing its own sources.

According to the outlet's sources, immediately after the start of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region, the Russian “elites” were “shocked,” but in two weeks “the shock passed, and they got used to it.”

According to a source close to the Kremlin, “at first it was unclear what forces were involved and how long it would last. Now we understand, it's easier.”

According to a survey by the Public Opinion Foundation, anxiety among Russians has increased by 6% and reached 45%. The Putin administration considers these figures to be quite high and hopes for a rapid decline.

“In times of shock, and this was definitely a shock, there are always jumps [in sociological indicators], then people get used to it and everything settles down. What happened during Prigozhin's mutiny, mobilization, and at the beginning of the war? But everything calmed down,” the source said.

Therefore, in order to quickly calm the mood of citizens, the Kremlin is trying to prepare them for life in a “new reality” and “new normality” (these terms have already been used by propagandists during the pandemic and at the very beginning of the war with Ukraine).

According to the Kremlin's portrayal of this “new reality,” the following elements are emphasized:

• The enemy has indeed breached Russian territory.
• They will ultimately be defeated.
• However, the reclamation of these territories will require time, and Russians should be patient.

At this time, people are encouraged to “channel negativity and shock into positive direction,” in particular, to participate in collecting aid for the Kursk region. Putin's administration has already “recommended” doing so.

Ukraine’s cross-border incursion in Russia’s Kursk region

On August 6, the authorities of Russia's Kursk region stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly tried to break through the Russian border, but were pushed back. Later, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that "the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group retreated to its territory.”

On August 7, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin convened the Russian military leadership to discuss the situation in the Kursk region, which he called a "large-scale provocation." At the time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on the international community to "strongly condemn the Kyiv regime's criminal attacks on Russian territory."

On August 10, President Zelenskyy called the operation in the Kursk region “pushing the war into the aggressor's territory.” At night of the same day, the authorities introduced a counterterrorism operation in the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions of Russia.

On August 14, it became known that the Ukrainian military had formed a “sanitary (buffer) zone” for self-defense in the Kursk region of Russia. It is planned to open humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, and if necessary, military commandant's offices will be established in the Russian region.

At a meeting with the president on August 15, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Ukraine had established the first military commandant's office in the Kursk region to provide humanitarian aid to local residents.

At the same time, Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, together with the military, is currently working on a possible route for a humanitarian corridor for civilians from Kursk to Sumy.

On August 15, The Independent reported that about 2,000 Russian servicemen were captured during an operation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region.

Soldiers of the 80th Separate Air Assault Galician Brigade of the Airborne Forces of Ukrainian Armed Forces told about the results of their work after the first hours of the military operation in the Russian Kursk region.

Ukrainian forces keep conducting operations in the Kursk region. As of August 19, the Ukrainian Armed Forces took control of 92 settlements.

On August 20, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ordered the military to push Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region by October 1, 2024.

On August 20, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Ukrainian military controlled 1,263 square kilometers in the Kursk region, including 93 settlements.