The Kremlin is preparing the Russians for another decade of war.

The ISW emphasized that negotiations with Russia are impossible as long as its terms include the destruction of Ukraine. Russian state news agencies published comments by the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, who hinted that the Ukrainian state would no longer exist by 2034. Analysts assume that in this way, he tried to support the Kremlin’s efforts to prepare Russian society for a protracted war in Ukraine.

As well, Kremlin authorities promise that the Russian Federation will fulfill its task of destroying Ukrainian statehood within ten years. Media coverage of Medvedev’s statements has created cautious exchanges of information and public expectations regarding the war: The war will last another decade but will end with Russia’s desired “victory”.

“This narrative also directly and strongly undermines individual attempts by some Kremlin officials to suggest that Russia is ready to “negotiate peace” with Ukraine and further emphasizes that the Kremlin’s only desired result of the war is the complete destruction of the Ukrainian state and people,” analysts noted.