The Battle of the Narrative – how Russian nationalists can be a danger to Putin

A pro-Moscow activist said: “We surrender our weapons, we surrender our country!”

Zelenskyy, but no Putin

Last weekend, Ukrainian President Volodomy Zelenskyy challenged Putin to meet him face to face in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss a possible ceasefire. Zelenskyy showed up in Turkey, Putin didn’t.

What that tells us

Experts take this as a sign that Putin really isn’t interested in a ceasefire or even peace in Ukraine, at least not at the moment – but can he keep the support of the Russian population with the war now being in its fourth year?

Nationalists with a mission

According to Reuters, an “army” of Nationalists are currently waging a campaign in Russia against a ceasefire that would “freeze” the frontline. When Putin suggested direct peace talks, one nationonalist wrote on his blog that “our war will continue until the complete liberation of Novorossiya and Malorrossiya”.

Calls for ramping up the fighting

In fact, some nationalists even argue that Russia should take over the Ukrainian Capital of Kyiv, with others suggesting that Russia should attack Poland.

A danger to Putin

This might sound like Putin’s war-efforts have huge support, but the problem for the Russian President is that these nationalists could make life difficult for Moscow.

The battle of the narrative

Right now, Ukraine and Russia are waging a war far from the battlefield – the battle of the narrative. Who can prove that they are actually trying to stop the fighting?

Trump’s support

The reason this battle is so important is that the U.S. President, Donald Trump, is pushing for the fighting to stop, and he will probably side with the party proving they are really looking for peace.

Ending the war on Putin’s terms

Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center who has studied the Kremlin for years, told Reuters that the ongoing national pressure in Russia fuels Putins desire to end the war 0n his terms.

He is ready

With Ukranian and Russian delegations actually meeting in Turkey today, a lot can happen during the weekend. However, Stanovaya suggests that Putin is “ready to wage war for years or to achieve his aims in a different way”.