In the “Rainer Nowak Talk” on krone.tv on Wednesday evening, journalist Angelika Eliseeva, Russia expert and university professor Wolfgang Mueller, and Major Albin Rentenberger, an officer in the federal army, spoke.
The terrorist attack in Moscow shocked Russia and also caused speculation. IS Islamists claimed responsibility for the attack and the Kremlin suspected Ukraine was behind it. Which was strongly denied there. The reason for the conversation about foreign policy with Rainer Nowak. The ‘real’ Styrian Angelika Eliseeva, who currently works for ‘Krone’, also worked as a journalist in Russia. The studied Slavic scholar also knows the location of the attack. The Moscow mall was their regular mall. “I was often afraid of being hit there. I also received photos from friends. Circling helicopters. A friend originally wanted to go to the concert where this happened.”
Wolfgang Mueller, professor of Russian history at the University of Vienna, emphasized that Western media had been reporting since 2023 that IS could target Russia. However, Putin always made derogatory comments when issuing warnings.
State propaganda for ‘dehumanization’
Could the attack have an impact on the war, host Nowak asked Major Albin Rentenberger, who was responsible for the military assessments. “It needs to be monitored because initially the blame was placed on Ukraine. The conflict will certainly continue.”
Putin has often represented positions that were then followed by change. Mueller: “He said there was no invasion of Ukraine, and there was. There are several examples. It will likely be a concession to the dominant political goal of legitimizing the war in Ukraine. Everything is used for this. There are still voices close to Putin putting pressure on Ukraine. Russian policy is to shift all the blame to Ukraine.”
Did Eliseeva expect the invasion? “I was in Moscow from 2017 to 2022, so until the big attack, but if you looked at the propaganda on state television, there was incitement against the Ukrainians. An attempt was made to dehumanize the people. But I never expected it in this form.” Many Russians now live in a bubble and believe that what is happening is good. Possibly also as self-protection.
Putin avoids general mobilization
Officer Rentenberger stated that many were mentally prepared for war by the media. Putin evokes a memory of the Second World War – the story of the great defensive war. “Then you add a repressive system to it – then it works. Putin mainly recruits men from peripheral areas and professional soldiers. Not in St. Petersburg or Moscow, where the rich and influential live. There is no general mobilization in sight in Russia, Putin wants to avoid that.” Putin’s KGB past has strengthened his worldview, according to Professor Mueller. And from the 2000s onwards there were indications in which direction it would develop.
For journalist Eliseeva, there are two Russians: the official one, Kremlin Russia, and the other, the private one, who adheres to traditions and values. “But the state is penetrating more and more into private life. You see it in the debates in families. The young people are curious and open-minded, but the older ones are narrow-minded.” Wolfgang Mueller agreed: Science makes these observations too. The elderly mainly watch TV; state propaganda is active here. Facebook and new media are being demonized, says Eliseeva. But that couldn’t stop the boys.
According to researcher Mueller, until recently there have been attempts to always include Russia, from Germany but also from the US. Is there still enough support for Putin in his own country? He’s there, that’s the tenor. There is also the prospect of Putin’s election victory in the US, after which he will no longer support Ukraine. Rentenberger: “There is currently a war of attrition going on. Putin could continue this until the November elections.”
Mueller analyzed that the war did not benefit Putin in the way he had hoped. And the war caused not only human but also financial losses, including sanctions against Russia. Even if they wouldn’t have as strong an impact as people in the West had hoped. Russia has too many raw materials and countries that need them and pay for them. But Russia is extremely unstable internally. There are more arrests for political reasons than at any time since Stalin’s time. “You can see this in attacks or drones circling over the Kremlin. Russia is more unsafe than ever.”
When is the end of the war in sight? Major Rentenberger with a clear message: “Either one party will have the upper hand, or both will be too exhausted. At the moment it doesn’t look like it.”
In “The Rainer Nowak Talk” every Wednesday at 9:15 p.m., top guests from politics and public debate debate the topics that particularly move and excite the whole of Austria.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
