The United States and other Western countries are waging a psychological war with Russia, trying to undermine President Vladimir Putin and government agencies, said an adviser to Russia’s defense minister, according to Reuters.
Aide Andriy Ilnytskyi also said in comments widely reported in the Russian media that Washington also wanted to change Russian thinking in the “war … for the minds of the people.”
Moscow’s ties with Washington have been low since the Cold War. US President Joe Biden has said he considers Putin a murderer who deserves sanctions for interfering in US politics.
Russian officials have also suggested that imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is a Western puppet carrying out a mission to destabilize Russia. Navalny rejected this statement.
“A new type of war … is beginning to appear. I call it a mental war for an argument. It is then that the goal of this war is to destroy the enemy’s understanding of the pillars of civilization,” Ilnytsky said.
He said the United States was also using economic and “informational” measures to undermine Putin, the presidency, the military, the Russian Orthodox Church and youth.
“The war is being fought for the minds of the people,” he said.
Ilnytsky said Washington had resorted to such methods because direct military confrontation with Russia, a nuclear power, was unrealistic.
Asked if he agreed that Washington was waging a psychological war against Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “There is a purposeful policy of containment and containment of Russia. This is absolutely constant and visible to the naked eye.”
Washington is expected to impose sanctions on Russia soon because of Russia’s alleged interference in the 2020 US presidential election.
Peskov said that Russia has never accepted foreign interference in its affairs and has not interfered in the affairs of other countries.