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Putin Prepares to Scapegoat the Military
There is an odd giddiness among people who don’t really understand Russia. They see the Moscow-based news media openly criticizing the war effort and so people celebrate — could this be the end of Putin, they enthuse?
In a normal country, criticism would indeed be a good sign. Criticism of the war in Russia, after seven months of absolutely no criticism, means only one thing: The master sleuth is showing just how in control of the narrative he still is.
Having controlled every aspect of the messaging on the war in Ukraine to the point where people were forced to call it a “special operation” lest they be jailed, Russia’s main media celebrities can be seen somberly talking about the struggles the army is having.
Aha, we all think, frustration with the lies of Putin and his team of sycophantic weaklings has finally broken the patience of the journalists. They are realizing that the war is not a good thing for Russia and so are pushing back against the stifling propaganda.
‘Months of reporting nothing but success in Ukraine has unleashed a wave of unusual public criticism of the military.
Bloomberg also cites Andrey Kartapolov, a former Russian general…
