Russia Claims Progress in Ukraine War, State Media Reports

As Russia’s War in Ukraine Hits Four Years, State Propaganda Shows Signs of Strain

The fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has brought a noticeably somber mood to Russian state television studios. The once-jubilant propagandists who predicted a swift victory now display long faces that betray how dramatically the situation has evolved since February 2022.

In stark contrast to today’s subdued tone, Margarita Simonyan, head of the Kremlin-backed RT network, had demanded champagne in the studio just days before the invasion, openly expressing euphoria about the anticipated annexation of Ukraine. Similarly, State Duma Vice Chairman Pyotr Tolstoy appeared on state broadcasts in May 2022, confidently imagining himself “drinking coffee in Kyiv before too long.”

Four years later, such beverage references would more likely focus on skyrocketing prices of coffee and other everyday items in Russia. Even the most enthusiastic pro-war voices have been unable to avoid acknowledging the severe economic impact of the conflict. Vladimir Solovyov, described by Simonyan as “Russia’s most influential propagandist,” recently admitted his weariness discussing the economy and openly questioned why other countries possess greater wealth than his “warring Motherland.”

During his television and radio programs, Solovyov regularly criticizes inflation, high interest rates, and Russia’s lack of technical innovation. However, he carefully avoids attributing these problems to Vladimir Putin’s decision to initiate the war that caused and exacerbated Russia’s economic difficulties.

Throughout the conflict, Solovyov and other prominent state media personalities have consistently maintained that Russia stands on the verge of decisive victory. This optimism persists despite their pre-war predictions – that Ukrainians would welcome Russian forces or quickly succumb to them – proving spectacularly wrong. When these scenarios failed to materialize, Moscow’s mouthpieces pivoted to claiming that U.S. President Donald Trump would force Ukraine to surrender by withdrawing American support.

This tendency to deny Ukrainian agency and misinterpret key participants has led Russia to make continuously flawed assessments. The Russian public has taken notice, with leading propagandists now complaining about declining viewership as the war drags on indefinitely.

During the February 24 broadcast of “The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov,” the host attempted to boost morale by focusing exclusively on Russia’s territorial gains. The segment’s title revealed its intended message with stark clarity: “Special Military Operation is one of the Russian Army’s most successful military operations.”

This claim stands in sharp contrast to a recent U.S. think tank report describing Russian losses as “extraordinary” and noting that Russian forces are advancing at a slower rate than British soldiers at the infamous 1916 Battle of the Somme. Solovyov ignored these assessments, instead characterizing Western reporting as dishonest and describing the conflict as “a war of narratives.”

Solovyov then made the questionable comparison between the Ukraine invasion and World War II (known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War), falsely claiming that Russia’s current territorial gains exceeded those of the Soviet Union. He expressed relief that since the fighting isn’t occurring on Russian soil, casualties are significantly lower than the estimated 27 million Soviet losses during WWII. Like his colleagues, Solovyov avoided mentioning specific Russian casualty figures, which independent analysts estimate between 1 and 1.2 million – exceeding combined Russian losses from all post-WWII conflicts.

In a particularly dubious claim, Solovyov asserted that Russia’s demographic challenges have been resolved by “millions of Ukrainians” who supposedly immigrated to Russia, along with residents of occupied territories. Using what could be described as creative accounting, he suggested these alleged arrivals outnumber the nearly one million Russians who have fled the country since the war began.

The propagandist continued with economic claims, insisting Russia’s economy is in better shape than the USSR’s was during World War II. He described purported growth in Russia’s military-industrial complex that supposedly exceeds Soviet-era expansion. “Objectively speaking, if we look solely at the numbers, this is one of the most successful military operations, if not the most successful military operation carried out by the Russian Army,” Solovyov declared, urging viewers to consider the mineral resources and land acquired during the war.

During this performance, Solovyov’s grim-faced guests stood in awkward silence, mostly looking downward. Political scientist Dmitry Kulikov eventually supported the narrative by falsely claiming that Russian forces have been advancing continuously since 2023. Professor Stanislav Tkachenko of St. Petersburg State University added that “the absence of European unity is perhaps one of the most important diplomatic results of the special military operation.”

This statement represents wishful thinking rather than reality. One of the clearest lessons from the past four years has been Europe’s consistent commitment to funding and arming Ukraine, despite extensive efforts by the Kremlin and its allies to fracture this unity.

As the war enters its fifth year, the stark contrast between Russian propaganda’s initial triumphalism and today’s strained justifications reflects the significant miscalculations that have defined Moscow’s Ukrainian campaign.