Russia's internal information operation in support of war

 Institute for the Study of War:

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The Kremlin dramatically limited Russia’s already isolated domestic information environment and criminalized unfavorable coverage of the war in Ukraine on March 4, setting conditions to improve the domestic efficacy of its information operations. Russia could also leverage the information blackout to commit additional atrocities in Ukraine without further eroding domestic Russian support of the invasion.

Russian mass media censor Roskomnadzor blocked several Western media outlets for spreading “fake news” on March 4. The blocked sites include Facebook, Twitter, Voice of America, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Meduza, and Radio Free Europe. The Kremlin also blocked the Apple Store and Google Play platforms, likely to prevent the installation of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass media blackouts.[18] BBC and Voice of America announced that they will continue to provide accurate Russian-language news coverage despite the blocks.[19] Roskomnadzor blocked the sites due to their alleged distribution of ”fake” information about “the essence of the special military operation in Ukraine, its form, the methods of combat operations (attacks on the population, strikes on civilian infrastructure), the Russian armed forces’ losses and civilian victims.”[20] Independent Russian media outlet Znak announced it was preemptively suspending its work and closing its site due to media censorship on March 4.[21] Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta stated it would remove all material related to the Russian military in Ukraine due to censorship restrictions.[22] Regulators additionally shut down independent Russian news outlet TV Rain.[23] TV Rain ended its final broadcast with its staff resigning en-mass and saying “no to war” on March 3.[24]

The Russian legislature consolidated censorship measures on March 4 and unanimously passed a bill criminalizing “fake news” about Russian military activities in Ukraine.[25] Putin signed the bill into law on March 4.[26] NPR reported that “under the new bill, prison sentences for spreading news that discredits the Russian military would range from up to three years for members of the public, five to 10 years if the offender used an official position or if their actions had extreme motives, and 10 to 15 years if the consequences are deemed to be serious.”[27] The fines may cost up to 1.5 million rubles ($14,000).[28] Russian law enforcement separately conducted a search of the independent human rights groups Memorial International and Civic Assistance, both of which help migrants and refugees, on March 4.[29]

Russian forces announced that they had “liberated” the so-called “Kherson People’s Republic” on March 4 as Russia seized control of local media outlets.[30] The Kremlin will likely use this rhetoric of liberating the “people’s republics” to justify Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry announced that Russian forces seized a TV tower broadcasting Ukrainian stations to disseminate pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation in Kherson, Ukraine, on March 3.[31] Russian forces broadcasted 24 Russian TV channels and 3 radio stations that promoted Russians as “liberators” of Kherson on March 3.[32] Russian forces likely took Kherson-based Ukrainian channels offline to monopolize the information environment and more effectively control the local population.

The Kremlin set conditions to justify potential Russian conscriptions and more aggressive Russian operations against Ukraine on March 4. Russia The Kremlin emphasized that the West may be planning nuclear provocations against Russia that would force Russia to respond, setting conditions for a false-flag operation to justify additional demands on the Russian population and to stoke nationalist anti-West fervor. Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the “normalization” of relations with other states and said that Moscow has “absolutely no ill intentions” toward neighboring states on March 4. Putin additionally claimed that the Russian military offensive in Ukraine was only “in response to unfriendly actions toward Russia.”[33]

The Russian Federation Council—the upper house of the Russian parliament—and Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov claimed on March 4 that the West had been preparing Ukraine for a “provocation” against Russia from Kharkiv, Ukraine, in concert with Western journalists.[34] The Federation Council alleged that Ukraine’s “sudden” need of nuclear weapons only intensified Russian national security concerns.[35] Russian Foreign Intelligence Services Director Sergei Naryshkin stated that the West “not only seeks to revive the Iron Curtain, but also to destroy Russia.”[36] Russia-backed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov wrote on Facebook on March 4 that Ukraine and the West are planning a nuclear genocide against civilians in eastern Ukraine that will provoke a Russian response.[37] Azarov warned that NATO plans to deploy forces to Ukraine in summer 2022 and that there will be a Third World War by the end of 2022.[38]
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This looks like an internal propaganda effort to justify an unpopular war.  The Russians are actively trying to block outside sources of information about what they are doing in Ukraine.  They recently blocked the BBC's Russian operations.  In turn, the BBC resorted to broadcasting on shortwave radio for those who happen to have that device.  This has the look and feel of desperation on the part of the Putin regime.

Ukraine and others outside of Russia have been waging cyberattacks against Russian government sites shutting down and some business sites within Russia.  The Russians are also struggling under the sanction regime imposed on them and their affiliates since the war began.