According to Meduza, it took almost three days for Vladimir Putin’s administration to decide how the media should report on the military operation in the Kursk region. The plan? Compare it to the historical Kursk Battle and assure citizens that Putin "will not leave anyone in distress."

The news outlet reveals that the Kremlin had ordered state-controlled and sympathetic media outlets to "avoid escalating tensions" regarding the incursion into the Kursk region. This directive was confirmed by two employees from such media houses. Journalists were advised to steer clear of discussions about a potential "new front" and instead draw parallels with the World War II era Kursk Battle.

Furthermore, the media has been instructed not to mention the possible advance of Ukrainian troops towards the city of Kurchatov, home to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, to prevent "a sense of nuclear threat" among the public.

In place of such topics, media outlets are urged to highlight the "successes of the Russian army", claiming they are preventing Ukrainian forces from penetrating deeper into the Kursk region. Journalists are encouraged to focus on attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on civilians, especially incidents involving children.

Also recommended for news coverage is an emphasis on the "unity and solidarity of the people" who are donating blood and accommodating evacuees from the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region.

But the central focus, media professionals are advised, should be on the "efforts" by the federal authorities, Putin, and the government, who are portrayed as never abandoning anyone in difficult times.

Sources within pro-Kremlin media, who spoke to Meduza, noted they received their guidelines only by Thursday afternoon, nearly three days after the invasion of the Kursk region began. They speculate that the Kremlin was initially unclear about the scale of the situation, resulting in a delayed "manual" for media coverage.

  War in Ukraine, Kursk, Sudzha

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