Putin's inner circle tries to mask his silence on Türkiye talks — CCD

As Türkiye prepares to host high-level talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, Russian propagandists and president Vladimir Putin’s close associates are attempting to conceal the lack of updates about his participation in the negotiations he proposed three days ago. The Kremlin dictator’s silence regarding a visit to Türkiye signals his psychological fear.

Andriy Kovalenko, Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said this.

According to him, propagandists are using narratives like «cunning move, ” „only Putin will decide, ” or „we’re advancing on the front, so we call the shots“ to cover up Putin’s hesitation.

«In reality, propagandists are targeting the domestic Russian audience, as they might not understand why Putin is reluctant to go to Türkiye if, as Russians are told, „Russia is winning.“ They might actually think he’s afraid, ” Kovalenko explained.

He emphasized that Putin’s fear stems from the fact that many of his options for manipulating negotiations have been curtailed, yet he remains unwilling to end the war.

«Moreover, Patrushev, Lavrov, Ushakov, Kiriyenko, and especially Chemezov from „Rostec“, along with Gerasimov, are pushing for continued hostilities. Patrushev, in particular, has ulterior motives — he desperately wants his son, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, to succeed Putin, who has recently started talking seriously about the need to identify potential successors, ” Kovalenko said.

Kovalenko also warned that Putin’s persistence in prolonging the war against Ukraine could only hasten the dictator’s own downfall.