Dynamics of Putin's mentions in Russian media

Vladimir Putin has been steadily increasing his presence in the information field over the past five weeks. However, even considering this fact, the surge in his mentions last week looks abnormal. This is primarily related to his involvement in commenting on the progress of the "Special Military Operation." If earlier Putin tried to stay above the situation and limited himself to proclaiming doctrinal messages, recently he has become the main war speaker. Over the past few days, he has publicly described the details of combat operations at least three times – at a meeting with military correspondents, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, and at a meeting with graduates of Russian military universities.

The information space was analysed using a refined methodology based on monitoring 3200 Russian websites, telegram channels, YouTube channels, and significant accounts on VKontakte, Instagram and Facebook.