Kremlin fears failures of Russia's war against Ukraine will affect upcoming presidential elections – ISW
The Kremlin is "concerned" about the negative impact of failures in the war in Ukraine on the results of the Russian presidential elections in 2024.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Putin's presidential campaign is to focus on the internal affairs of Russia and criticize the West, Rubryka reports.
Russian officials want to strengthen censorship in the country. They explain this by stating that Russians who have left the country have begun attempts to discredit the upcoming Russian presidential elections.
The Russian government has also tried to consolidate control over the Russian information space and has intensified measures to encourage self-censorship. The relatives of mobilized individuals may also influence the elections. In Russia, there has been an increase in complaints and calls for help from the mobilized despite Russia's attempts to censor them.
Background
The presidential elections in Russia are scheduled for March 2024. The exact date has not been set yet; it is to be determined by their parliament in December.
The day before, Putin approved amendments to Russian legislation, allowing the possibility of holding "presidential elections" in territories where the Kremlin has imposed "martial law," i.e., in the occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine.
British intelligence noted that Vladimir Putin became more active in the public arena ahead of the election campaign. Kremlin political technologists are trying to portray him as a "patriotic" candidate. He is likely to announce his candidacy by the end of 2023.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Vladimir Putin has decided to run in the March presidential elections, allowing him to remain in power until at least 2030.
