Yesterday's statements from Russian officials and media outlets about the absence of alternatives to referendums and their intention to defend the "captured" territories (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia), up to the use of nuclear weapons, could be just a veil to divert attention from the main purpose — the completion of the special operation, Brief Telegram channel said.
The authorities have been trying to convince the Russians of the need to activate the defense of the country and be prepared for possible mobilization. Probably, all this could be just a trick to relieve tensions among those who support the continuation of the special operation.
According to insider information, there is no talk of any mobilization in the country. The military commissariats have not been put on standby mode. Russia is not going to close its borders either. The authorities, through the State Duma, highlight the absence of plans for a general mobilization. At the same time, the Kremlin deliberately took a pause in releasing any public comments to measure the mood of its foreign policy partners.
Putin's address to the nation, which was announced for the night of September 20, was delayed. Most likely, this is another element of his intention to highligh the ideological justification for the transition to a new phase in Ukraine, Brief Telegram channel said.
Discussions and rumours about mobilization and a possibility for a nuclear war to break out trigger nothing but excessive public anxiety. It is believed that Putin's address is to relieve public tensions in many ways.
In general, Putin's address to the nation will be directed to internal audiences in order to lift any claims to the authorities and ensure a balance of interests.
It is expected that information structures will now begin reformatting their agenda to switch from military topics to "the long-awaited entry of Donbass into Russia." Militarization is expected to be replaced by positive euphoria.
The mission to switch to positive topics coincides with the goal to ensure internal consensus for the coming New Year holidays.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian diplomacy apparently have been instructed to translate Kremlin's main messages through the platform of the UN General Assembly.
This could be the reason, for which the US State Department issued visas to the delegation of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Kremlin has repeatedly noted in the past two weeks that the Foreign Ministry delegation and Foreign Minister Lavrov personally will travel to the United States in accordance with Putin's decree.
To crown it all, the reaction from the US and the EU to the idea of referendums in Russia-controlled territories of Ukraine was unusually calm. The news has not generated media hype in the West either — there is no hysteria in Western media. Possibly, Biden's choice of a new US Ambassador to Moscow is connected with the latest unexpected initiatives from the Russian authorities.