russia Is Launching a Large-Scale russification of the Temporarily Occupied Regions

putin has signed a decree approving russia’s new national policy strategy through 2036, which is all about the idea of russia as a “state–civilization”. The document sets unrealistic goals for the formation of a homogeneous civic identity: the kremlin expects that by 2036, 95 % of the country’s population will identify themselves as “russian”, and positive perceptions of interethnic relations will increase to 85 %.

A key element of the strategy is the integration of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. russia plans to launch large-scale propaganda programs in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions to eliminate any manifestations of national consciousness, consolidate the status of the russian language, and strengthen pan-russian civic identity. This course is in fact aimed at speeding up the russification of the population and aggressively suppressing Ukrainian identity.

The strategy also focuses on “internal threats”: russophobia, distortion of history, actions of “unfriendly countries”, and the risks of emerging of ethnic enclaves. The kremlin declares its intention to reduce conflicts on national and religious grounds by intensifying the use of social networks and video platforms to promote “traditional values”.

A separate task for the government is to create abroad an “objective” image of russia as a democratic and law-abiding state. moscow plans to use international platforms to create the impression of equal rights and freedoms among foreign audiences, despite growing xenophobia and increasingly ethnocentric narratives within the country.

The implementation of this strategy will lead to an even greater restriction of the rights of national minorities and further tightening of control over the information space.