Russia launches large-scale Russification of temporarily occupied regions
Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on a new strategy for Russia’s state national policy until 2036, which envisages the formation of a homogeneous civic identity and the integration of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories through large-scale propaganda programs, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has said.
"The key element of the strategy is the integration of the occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Russia plans to launch large-scale propaganda programs aimed at eliminating manifestations of Ukrainian national consciousness, consolidating the status of the Russian language and strengthening the all-Russian identity," the report said.
Such a course is actually aimed at the accelerated Russification of the population and the aggressive suppression of Ukrainian identity.
According to the document, the Kremlin expects that by 2036, 95% of the country’s population will identify themselves as "Russian," and the positive perception of interethnic relations will increase to 85%.
The strategy also focuses on "internal threats": Russophobia, distortion of history, the actions of "unfriendly countries" and the risks of ethnic enclaves. The Kremlin declares its intention to reduce conflicts on national and religious grounds by intensifying the use of social networks and video platforms to promote "traditional values".
The Service added that a separate task of the government has been defined as the formation of an "objective" image of Russia abroad as a democratic and legal state. "Moscow plans to use international platforms to create an impression of equality of rights and freedoms among foreign audiences, despite the growth of xenophobia and the strengthening of ethnocentric narratives within the country," the report says.