In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 126: Truth and Tedium in Putin's Marathon Town Hall and the Russian Press

Dec 17, 2023

A recent town hall meeting hosted by Putin was described as a four-hour, four-minute procession of banalities and boredom. The importance of instilling hope and portraying success to the Russian population was emphasized. The tenuous connection between an article connecting Ukrainian armed forces to the Third Reich was discussed. The concept of a coordinated western conspiracy and the renewed focus on the Nazi angle in Russian propaganda were explored. The factors contributing to the dramatic increase in the price of eggs in Russia were explored. The destabilization of the criminal balance of power in Putin's Russia was discussed.

45:59

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Quick takeaways

Putin's annual press conferences have become increasingly tedious and boring, highlighting his lack of energy and willingness to engage in meaningful discussions.

Putin aims to portray the upcoming election as a mundane administrative chore, employing boredom as a political strategy to discourage alternative viewpoints or candidates.

Deep dives

Putin's marathon press conference

The podcast episode discusses Putin's annual marathon press conference which lasted for four hours and four minutes. The episode highlights how these press conferences have become increasingly onerous for Putin, with his lack of energy and willingness to engage becoming more evident. This year, he combined the two usual events, the marathon press conference and the marathon online town hall, into one event called 'Results of the Year'. The episode describes the event as a clumsy amalgamation of journalists desperately trying to capture Putin's attention and curated questions from the millions that were sent in. The highlights of the event were deemed predictable or embarrassing, with even Putin's attempts at humor falling flat.

Russia’s Preoccupation with Britain

00:32

Introduction

2min

Putin's Town Hall: A Procession of Banalities

20min

Maintaining Hope and Conveying Success

1min

Analysis of an Article Connecting Ukrainian Armed Forces to the Third Reich

4min

Coordinated Western Conspiracies and the Renewed Focus on the Nazi Angle

8min

Rising Price of Eggs in Russia

6min

Destabilizing the Criminal Balance of Power in Putin's Russia

3min

I felt I ought to cover Putin's combined press conference and online town hall, but it was just so, so boring. And maybe that's the point: tedium weaponised as the new electoral strategy. But what else can we read into the Kremlin's public messaging? To explore that, after some brief thoughts on that 4 hour 4 minute banquet of banality, I delve into the world of Russian tabloids this weekend...

Details of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime event on Monday that I mention (and a link to download the full report) are here.

The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations.

You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here.

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