Thread by @Mylovanov

Russia can’t win by force, so it wages cognitive war to confuse, delay, and paralyze decisions in the West.

Its goal: get others to do less so it can do more[and win Ukraine in war], Nataliya Bugayova for Foreign Policy.

1/

Putin knows NATO's economy dwarfs his. If the West backs Ukraine fully, Russia loses. So he pushes false premises:

– Russian victory is inevitable

– Western aid is pointless

– Russia deserves a sphere of influence

2/

Russia hits every platform: state media (TASS, RT), foreign conferences, diplomacy, international bodies, and social media. It links these with cyberattacks, drills, sabotage, and military strikes.

3/

In 1967, Soviet scientist Vladimir Lefebvre called it reflexive control—make the enemy adopt your logic, your goals. Putin just scaled it.

4/

He built it up fast:

– Seized independent TV by 2003

– Boosted TASS in 2013–2014

– Created Military-Political Directorate in 2018

– Jailed teens in 2024 for quoting Ukrainian poets

– Built Russia’s own messaging app in 2025 to tighten control

5/

The Kremlin uses this war to hide weakness. At current pace, it would take Russia 100 years to capture Ukraine. Over 1 million Russians are dead or wounded. It lost land, failed to stop Ukraine’s raids inside Russia, and can’t hold its borders.

6/

Putin’s regime depends on selling fake strength. But Ukraine exposed it: drone strikes on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in 2023 shattered Russia’s bluff on food security. Grain ships moved. Blockade failed. Narrative collapsed.

7/

The strongest response? Don’t play inside Russia’s logic. Don’t debate its lies. Act.

– Send more weapons

– Target Russia’s military myths

– Reject spheres of influence

– Speak truth before they finish their story

8/

Russia doesn’t win by conquering land. It wins when we accept its fantasy as reality.

9X

Source: foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/01/rus…