Russian state and pro-government media outlets have received a playbook from the administration of the Russian president on how to present the anniversary of the Baptism of Rus on July 28 as the beginning of the establishment of Russian statehood.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, citing "Meduza," the document instructs propagandists on what to tell Russians in their materials for the upcoming anniversary of the Baptism of Rus.
The document emphasizes that this event should be referred to as the "key turning point in Russian history" and the "moment of statehood formation" for Russia. Propagandists are urged to highlight that it was the "common faith" that allowed "East Slavic tribes" to become a "unified people."
The document particularly focuses on the "opponents of Russia," who supposedly fought against Orthodoxy in Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland.
"Polish kings imposed Catholicism and Uniatism on the traditionally Russian territories they occupied, in order to divide the people and subjugate them."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously made territorial claims against Poland, saying, "Thanks to the Soviet Union, thanks to Stalin's position, Poland received significant lands in the West, German lands. It's true, the western territories of present-day Poland were a gift from Stalin to the Poles. Have our friends in Warsaw forgotten about it? We will remind them." Putin conveniently omits mentioning that the Soviet Union, together with Nazi Germany, invaded Poland in 1939.
The a playbook are even more aggressive regarding Ukraine. The authors of the document label the official Kyiv as an "apostate regime" that is fighting against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in an attempt to "destroy the spiritual connections of fraternal nations." There is no mention in the Kremlin's document of the destruction of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa after the Russian shelling.
"Today, our country is fighting against the new Satanic regime. The Kyiv regime deliberately seeks to destroy Orthodoxy in the territory of Ukraine, putting direct pressure on priests and confiscating churches.
Nazi Satanists have strengthened their position in the holy Russian city of Kyiv, where Rus was baptized. Russia is defending the Orthodox faith and crushing the fronts of neo-Nazis who worship the occult ideas of Hitler and Bandera."
The authors of the guidelines want to impose the opinion on Russians that Putin has "returned Russia to its mission as a protector of the Orthodox faith."
Putin is credited in the document for "supporting the revival of Orthodoxy" and the "restoration of churches" in Russia.
A source close to the Kremlin, as reported by "Meduza," emphasized that this is not a coincidence, and the number of similar mentions of Putin in propaganda will only increase in the run-up to the 2024 presidential elections.
"This is necessary for election campaigns. They will associate the president with every event. His name will always be heard."
In May, another "guideline" was circulated in Russia on how propaganda should prepare Russians for a Ukrainian counteroffensive, which was then expected.
Recall: After the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada established that July 28 in Ukraine would be celebrated as the Day of Ukrainian Statehood, even though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this holiday back in 2021.