From Pacification to the Manipulation of Hope: Russian Propaganda’s Strategic Turn After the Trump–Putin Call

Russian propaganda remains one of the most compelling subjects for analysis in the context of the war in Ukraine. For a significant period following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin primarily relied on a “politics of pacification” directed at the previously depoliticized Russian population. However, following intensified drone attacks on Moscow and the authorization for the use of long-range weapons deep within Russian territory, rising societal anxiety could no longer be contained through pacification alone - new rhetorical strategies were needed. The victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election, his phone call with Vladimir Putin, and the initiation of negotiations in Riyadh triggered a major shift in Russian propaganda. We now observe the amplification of exaggerated hope within Kremlin narratives, despite an absence of meaningful changes in military discourse. This article analyses these recent propaganda shifts to uncover the Kremlin’s underlying intentions in the emerging peace negotiations. The core argument of this article is that this shift marks a strategic turn from the politics of pacification to the manipulation of hope, revealing the Kremlin’s attempt to maintain emotional control over the public - an effort not necessarily aligned with any genuine intention to end the war.