Kremlin escalating divisive rhetoric on Ukraine, says think tank
Much of the information reported by the Russian media or government representatives are elements of propaganda. Such reports are part of the information war carried out by the Russian Federation. In this instance, Dmitrij Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, discussed a subject related to constructing a railway line extending from Spain through southern Europe to Lviv. Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, Medvedev has been repeating his false theories to justify this unjustified and unprovoked aggression against the neighbouring country.
Medvedev and the Lviv railroad
"This appears to be the first indication that Lviv-Lemberg (Lviv names in Hebrew and German - editor's note) will be the new capital of Ukraine within the Lviv region. It's not about differing track widths in the West and Malorussia. It's more about the fact that business is often more predictive than politics," - Medvedev wrote on the X portal.
The objective of such posts is straightforward. "The Kremlin is amplifying rhetoric supporting a hypothetical division of Ukraine, bringing up innocent and unrelated topics, possibly to normalise the narrative of division in Western conversations about Ukraine," - The ISW reports.
Analytic experts emphasise that this plan has nothing to do with Ukraine's borders or the end state of the war in Ukraine. It represents a separate European infrastructure project.
"Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials have once again revived the narrative portraying the invasion of Ukraine as a historically justified imperial conquest. In December 2023, it was suggested to a predominantly Russian-speaking audience that Russia and the European powers can divide Ukraine, leaving it as a 'sovereign' state within the boundaries of the Lviv region. This idea has piqued the interest of several right-wing nationalist politicians in Central Europe," - say analysts from the American think tank.
Significantly, Medvedev posted the note not on Telegram (Russia's most widely used messenger) but on the X platform. This implies that his aim was to communicate with international recipients rather than domestic ones.
Medvedev's post deepens the Russian information operation, incorrectly portraying Ukraine as an artificially constructed state. It is designed to undermine Western military support for Ukraine and normalise Western discussions that suggest Ukraine should concede a large portion of its territory to Russia.
The ISW continues to evaluate that Putin upholds his maximalist objectives in Ukraine, which equate to the complete capitulation of Ukraine and the West.
