Russia's 'holy war' in Ukraine

 ISW:

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The Kremlin reportedly distributed a manual to Russian state media on framing the anniversary of the Baptism of Rus on July 28, likely as part of continued information operations and propaganda narratives to advance Russian military objectives. Russian opposition news outlet Meduza reported on July 27 that it obtained the manual but did not publish the manual itself, which reportedly directs Russian state media to frame the Baptism of Rus as “a key turning point in Russian history” and “the point of formation of statehood.”[27] The manual reportedly emphasized that a “common faith” allowed the “East Slavic tribes” to unify as “one people.”[28] The manual reportedly instructs state media to paint Russian President Vladimir Putin as the one who “brought the mission of defending the Orthodox faith back to Russia” and reportedly labels the Ukrainian government an “apostate regime” and a “satanic regime” that is trying to “destroy” Orthodoxy in Ukraine and “the spiritual ties of the fraternal peoples.”[29] These Kremlin-dictated religion-based narratives come as Russia is itself committing systematic religious repressions and persecutions throughout Ukraine, including against Orthodox Christians, in an effort to destroy Ukrainian cultural and national identity.[30] The Kremlin reportedly issued a similar manual to state media in May aimed at controlling the narratives about a potential upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive, and the distribution of these manuals demonstrates the Kremlin’s use of various information operations to spread propaganda messages and discredit Ukraine in the international arena.[31]
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During the Soviet era in Russia, the government did not support religion and was mostly atheistic.  I get the impression that Putin is trying to use religion as a means of getting support for his war against Ukraine.  Putin does not strike me as someone with deep religious faith.  Both Russia and Ukraine appear to be associated with the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity.  Putin's attempt to discredit Ukraine and marginalize it does not appear to be gaining much traction.  Russia is seen as the aggressor power by most of the world.

BTW, the Baptism of Rus refers to the mass baptism of the residents of Kiev in 988 AD.

See, also:

Catherine the Great Founded Odesa. Now Missiles Are Destroying Its Russian Legacy.

 Attacks on the Ukrainian city’s cathedral and historic center are turning even more of its residents against Moscow.

And:

 Treacherous Forest Fight Threatens ‘Hellish’ Putin Comeback

The Kupiansk and Lyman axis of eastern Ukraine is rapidly spiraling into one of the hottest flashpoints of the war. The Ukrainian military reports that Russia has packed the region with more than 100,000 soldiers and 900 tanks—almost as many as the USSR deployed during the occupation of Afghanistan.

For some on the front line, it’s a sign that Vladimir Putin is desperate for a chink of light in his disastrous war.

“Putin has to sell at least some victory to somehow get out of his failed operation,” Svyatoslav Dubina, a Ukrainian platoon commander defending a position in that area, told The Daily Beast in an interview.

Battles in the region, including in the town of Kupyansk, have been so grueling that Dubina predicts survivors will share “hellish” stories about them for generations to come.

“There is a place called Serebryansky forest, where we have had worse battles than in the city of Bakhmut, since there are no concrete walls to protect us, just trees and the trenches we dug,” Dubina said. “We can only win this war against superior Russian forces with high technologies—for that we need to be smart and our Western allies should be supplying the high-precision weapons right now without waiting for nine months, like last year.”
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And:

Fighting intensifies in southeastern Ukraine with Kyiv claiming gains in its counteroffensive

Fierce fighting raged Thursday in southeastern Ukraine, where a Western official said Kyiv has launched a major push and Russian President Vladimir Putin said “hostilities have intensified significantly.”

Battles in recent weeks have taken place on multiple points along the over 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line as Ukraine wages a counteroffensive with Western-supplied weapons and Western-trained troops against Russian forces who invaded 17 months ago.
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And:

 Russia tried to wipe out a Ukrainian air base that's crucial to its ability to launch the Storm Shadow missile

And:

 Russia's economy is being propped up by Wagner Group's gold-smuggling operations, UK government report says

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The report, authored by the UK's foreign affairs committee, accuses the mercenary group of sneaking "significant" amounts of gold out of Sudan. That gold is then used in trade that's boosting Russia's economy, it added, despite the nation being targeted by western sanctions amid Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

"Wagner's gold-smuggling operations from Sudan are significant, with one calling them 'critical to Russia's ability to withstand significant sanctions deployed against it for its illegal invasion in Ukraine,'" the report said.

The US Treasury has already sanctioned four companies based in the United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, and Russia for their connections to the Wagner Group in the illegal gold trade.
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