Every yr on May 9, Vladimir Putin delivers a speech on Victory Day, commemorating the Soviet Union’s overcome Nazi Germany in World War II – what the Russians call the “Great Patriotic War”.
The strongman will almost definitely use Tuesday’s speech to rationalize his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
The US should turn the tide by showing the Russian people the full extent of Putin’s mistakes.
Putin has long sought to make use of the legacy of the Great Patriotic War to claim Russia’s status abroad and legitimize his rule at home.
In the Russian story, the Soviet Union, with a bit of help from the West, defeated Nazi Germany and saved Europe.
The Soviets lost over 27 million people in the war, which has deep emotional resonance for a lot of Russians.
Kremlin propaganda conveniently erases inconvenient parts of the story, whitewashing Moscow’s contribution to the outbreak of war through the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, during which the Soviet Union and Germany carved out spheres of influence in Europe.
Putin increasingly referred to the Soviet defeat of the Nazi invaders to portray Russia as opposing the dominance of the US-led West.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010805738.jpg?w=1024)
The Russian leader is painting his invasion of Ukraine as a part of this broader struggle.
He argues that Russia needed to act to make sure its security after the West installed a neo-Nazi proxy regime in Kiev.
“Victory shall be ours, as in 1945,” Putin declared during last yr’s speech. The Russians assure that “there isn’t a place for Nazis in the world”.
Given the poor performance of his military, he is not going to have the option to assert victory on Tuesday.
Many Russian cities have canceled their annual military parades for security reasons.
The alleged drone assassination attempt on Putin was likely a false flag operation, but authorities have legitimate concerns about Ukrainian strikes.
Nevertheless, Putin will traditionally speak at the Victory Parade on Red Square, with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu predicting that greater than 10,000 people will turn up to observe.
He will definitely seize the opportunity to legitimize his despotic regime and aggression against Ukraine once more – and he blames the West for it.
Washington should reverse the scenario by conducting information operations that exploit Russian nationalism.
While extolling the merits of Western democracy is not going to appeal to most Russians, a communiqué highlighting Putin’s geopolitical failures will appeal to nationalist pride.
Nationalism has steadily grown in Russia, largely because of Kremlin propaganda.
![A Russian service member raises a flag on a boomerang](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010748196.jpg?w=1024)
Significantly, 56% of Russians consider Joseph Stalin a “great leader.”
2017 survey conducted by the independent Levada Center found that 1 / 4 of respondents considered Stalin’s repressions to be “historically justified”, and 13% admitted that they knew “nothing” about his crimes.
Much more worrying is support for Stalin adult most amongst young people.
Washington should use this to indicate the Russians how Putin is failing to live as much as his own narratives.
While Moscow portrays Stalin as a robust leader and likens the invasion of Ukraine to the Great Patriotic War, US information operations can show how Putin has damaged Russia’s military and geopolitical prowess by fostering corruption.
One other powerful tool is humor.
![Multi-storey residential building](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010820419.jpg?w=1024)
Russian state censors are especially keen to eliminate anti-regime messages that use black humor and satire, as this content appeals strongly to Russians.
The federal government has banned the filming of the satirical film The Death of Stalin, which a senior Communist Party official called “a type of psychological warfare.”
American news operations should use humor each time possible.
Washington could resurrect old Soviet jokes about Stalin, rework them to consult with Putin, and make humorous memes to post on Russian social media on Tuesday.
Engage in dark humor and sarcasm.
For instance, America could remind the Russians of Stalin’s statement: “Death is the solution to all problems. No man – no problem” – and draw parallels to Putin’s war in Ukraine.
They’ll make memes showing poverty in Russia because of Putin’s war and liven them up with an old Soviet joke: “Life just got higher, comrades.”
Russian imperialism is alive and well.
Russians are very pleased with their country and lots of imagine in Great Russia and the “Russian World”, Russian mirwhich might be an asset in American information operations.
After the drone attack on the Kremlin and the recent threat of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the paramilitary Wagner Group, who ordered the withdrawal from Bakhmut, far-right groups should be reminded that Putin’s poor military record makes Russia a pariah state.
![Students line up during open days](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010804092-e1683585359511.jpg?w=1024)
To bolster the Russian “patriotic” narrative of World War II, Putin is attempting to erase historical truths.
The US should launch an offensive information and operational campaign around the world, emphasizing the truth about the Soviet-Nazi alliance and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
Although Putin is performing poorly on the battlefield in Ukraine, Defense Minister Shoigu declared that “information has turn out to be a weapon.”
Since the Cold War, the United States’ use of information warfare has worsened as a consequence of its fixation on hard power.
It is time to start out winning the information war with the Kremlin.
Russia has been sowing chaos for years, polarizing America and exploiting internal weaknesses.
Let’s reverse the scenario of Moscow’s information war and remind Putin that this game might be played by two people.
Ivana Stradner is a researcher at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy.