Russia's Presidential Administration has instructed state and pro-Kremlin outlets to refer to Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system as "Putin strikes", according to two employees of such outlets who spoke to the independent Russian-language site Meduza.
Guidance sent to loyalist media said the strikes were far more effective than Ukraine's attacks on Russia. The phrase has since appeared this week in headlines and articles on several Russian news sites and on pro-government social media accounts.
A political consultant who works with the administration told Meduza the aim was to tie the president personally to battlefield results and lift his ratings among pro-war Russians, echoing the "Ten Stalinist Strikes" of the Second World War. Polling by the Public Opinion Foundation shows Mr Putin's approval slipping from 75% in July to 71% in early October.
Source: Meduza
