ISW: Defeats Change Information Space In RF

Russian propagandists fell into despair.

Ukrainian forces continue their offensive in Donetsk Oblast, particularly near Lyman, and have broken through Russian defense positions in northeastern Kherson Oblast. AFU victories have a negative impact on Russian information space.

The report of the American Institute for the Study of War states this.

Russia's defeats in Kharkiv Oblast and Lyman, combined with the Kremlin's failure to effectively and fairly carry out partial mobilization, are fundamentally changing the Russian information space. The Kremlin media and Russian military bloggers have begun to criticize the bureaucratic failures of partial mobilization because of the loss of Lyman.

"Kremlin sources and military bloggers explain the defeat around Lyman and the Kharkiv Oblast by the inability of the Russian military to properly sustain and reinforce Russian forces in northern Donbas and complain about the lack of transparency in the war. Some guests of heavily edited Kremlin TV programs aired on October 1 even criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to annex four Ukrainian regions before defending their administrative borders or even the front lines, expressing doubts about Russia's ability to ever fully occupy these territories," the Institute report says.

Russian propagandists no longer hide their disappointment with the mobilization process in the RF, in particular, they pay attention to the fact that alcoholics often join the ranks of the RF Armed Forces.

Some, speaking live on television, have expressed concern that mobilization will not create the forces necessary to resume the initiative on the battlefield, given the poor quality of Russian reserves.