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Steel blue eyes, beautiful women, wild chases. And a lot of dead villains. The Russian TV superhero from the 14-part spy series ‘DDR’ is a kind of Russian James Bond. Like his British role model, the fearless Alexander Nechaev fights on behalf of Her Majesty. This time the ‘Majesty’ is not Queen, but Vladimir Putin (71). Because the political thriller is one of the great projects of the Kremlin’s propaganda machine. The goal is to attract as many voters as possible to the polls between March 15 and 17, 2024.
But the Russian connection is just one of many propaganda projects. Putin leaves nothing to chance before the elections. This is evident from documents from the Russian presidential government that were leaked to ZDF and ‘Spiegel’: tables, documents and budgets from 2020 to the end of 2023. The Kremlin leaks provide a rare glimpse behind the walls of the Kremlin. And there it becomes clear that even the apparently all-powerful autocrat Putin only boils water. And must fight for the favor of his people.
Kremlin leaks expose Putin’s propaganda machine
The secret documents of the inner circle of power reveal how much Vladimir Putin is costing himself by the electoral vote of his people. The Kremlin wants to invest up to a billion francs in brainwashing, digital surveillance, but also in youth education projects, especially in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Almost half of the money is intended for the presidential elections. The Institute for Internet Development (IRI), which is responsible for “the intellectual and moral education of young people”, will receive 177 million francs. Productions such as the ‘DDR’ series, for example, are intended to polish the image of the state security service. The secret documents also include a list of both “Creative Content for the Elections” and films that will be produced by March 2024. Most projects were decided by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (57) or by Vladimir Putin personally.
Vladimir Putin is running for office for the fifth time. Over the years he has eliminated all opposition, broken all resistance and has a free hand to manipulate elections. No one doubts the election results. Why then this costly effort to win over voters?
Voter turnout in elections may not fall below 65 percent
The electorate is very important, Austrian Russia expert Gerhard Mangott (57) tells Blick. “If turnout falls below 65 percent, this can be interpreted as an increasing rejection of the regime,” said the professor of politics at the University of Innsbruck. Putin is even aiming for a turnout of 80 percent. Anyone who votes for Putin ultimately agrees to the war.
“The usual range of election manipulations, such as carousel voting (people voting at different polling stations) or inserting ballots in the names of long-dead people, will certainly also occur this year,” Mangott continued. It is notable that there will be elections on three days in March instead of just one day. That would give the regime more time to ‘improve’ the results. Online voting would also be used for manipulation. “Still, election manipulation is limited, so Putin needs many real voters to vote for him.”
British historian Mark Galeotti (59) thinks the same way. “In a sense, an attempt is being made to minimize election manipulation on the actual election days,” said the expert on Russian security policy in “Spiegel”. “It’s about conditioning people in advance to keep the gap between the actual and the announced election results as small as possible.” Galeotti continued: “We absolutely do not want to raise any suspicion that the political system may have been manipulated. This led to mass demonstrations against the Kremlin regime twelve years ago.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
