It’s been nine days since Ukraine entered the Kursk region of Russia. Kursk residents are trying to evacuate—some on buses, others in cars or bikes. There are few signs of an organized evacuation. It appears that Putin’s troops have not arrived to fight back, but some troops are departing the Dombas and other occupied regions.
Generally, when anything happens in Russia — whether it’s Ukraine sinking ships or blowing up oil lines, Putin has kept the secret from worrying the Russian people. Only the wives of the dead soldiers know, so Putin holds the reins tight on his gaslighting strategy.
- Definition of Gaslighting: The action of repetitively (and often brazenly) lying to someone to manipulate and ultimately control them and the relationship. There are four types: outright lying, manipulation of reality, scapegoating, and coercion.
Gaslighting is well known as a nasty means to control an individual, but what isn’t well known is how dictators and wanna-be dictators use the strategy to take control of public information everywhere. Putin’s been lucky; the Russian populace has not caught on so far.
Ukraine has sunk major ships and chased Russian soldiers out of Northeastern Ukraine. Wagner’s mutiny was over in a day. And meanwhile, Putin’s tight control of the media has most Russians believing that the war on Ukraine was deserved because Ukraine is a Nazi country. The reality — Ukraine is a fledgling democracy.
Still, Putin’s lies are adding up.