Top PsyOps of the Week (May 4 – May 10, 2026): "Let the KVN Begin!" — Putin in the honor guard for Kolya Lukashenko under the watchful eye of a giant Terminator head

The second, looking sadly at the screen, replies:

— "It’s worse, Ivanovich. He’s not just permitting it. In the second clause, he appointed himself Chairman of the Jury and added: 'Lads, the performance is dragging on; if you don't wrap it up in thirty seconds, we’re cutting you from the broadcast along with the props.'"

In today’s IPSO review, we observe a clash between two polar schools of "show business": the heavy, bronze-plated Soviet officialdom and a new school of daring political timing.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decree—which effectively "permitted" the Kremlin to hold its Red Square parade in exchange for the lives of a thousand Ukrainian prisoners of war—became a masterclass in political trolling, neutralizing Moscow’s long-standing monopoly as the "arbiter of destinies.

" While Russian propaganda frantically tried to shift focus to Trump and "humanitarian gestures" to hide the humiliating fact of begging for silence in the Moscow skies, Kyiv proved once again: old KGB narratives of "grandeur" are powerless against a sharp, live script where human life is placed above the sanctity of cobblestones.

This maneuver, executed in the style of a KVN team captain, didn’t just break the usual May 9 ritual; it demonstrated to the Russian elites and society that the "Tsar" no longer dictates terms but is forced to accept permission from the very person he spent years trying to ignore.

KVN – a popular Soviet-era comedy competition where teams perform scripted satirical sketches.

"The Russian Imperative": Gothic Militarism and SS Imagery: The Z-exhibition "The Russian Imperative" in St. Petersburg represents the final stage of propaganda’s aesthetic suicide. Curated by Anton Belikov, the space features a giant Terminator-like head with glowing yellow eyes—a classic cinematic marker for the "Dark Side". The design heavily references 1930s Third Reich architecture, creating a dystopian atmosphere that evokes fear rather than patriotism. Most strikingly, the exhibition includes a wall quote from SS Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny praising Russian soldiers, signaling a complete collapse of the "denazification" narrative into accidental self-exposure.

Glamour on the Ruins: Analysis of a bizarre official video from Torzhok featuring Dmitry Medvedev. The scene juxtaposes grim rhetoric about war with a choir dressed in high-fashion pink oversized coats. This visual dissonance is framed as "self-sabotage," where the elite's "Patriarshiye Prudy" aesthetic clashes absurdly with the "patriotic" theater of war.

Immortal Regiment — A One-Way Ticket: A critique of a RIA Novosti headline claiming thousands of front-line soldiers will "join" the Immortal Regiment. The summary highlights the grim irony of the phrasing, suggesting the propaganda machine has accidentally voiced a schedule for living soldiers to become portraits for the next generation.

The Dynastic Guard: During the 2026 Victory Parade, the traditional hierarchy was subverted as Putin and Defense Minister Belousov stood like statues flanking a seated Alexander Lukashenko and his son, Kolya. The imagery suggests the "gatherer of lands" has been reduced to an honorary guard for a neighbor’s dynasty.

Kharkiv’s Resilience Rebranded as "Fake": Russian bloggers and Polish-language social media accounts are using footage of functioning cafes and busy streets in Kharkiv to claim the war is non-existent. Fact-checkers from Demagog debunked these as attempts to undermine international support by ignoring the city's constant aerial bombardment.

The "Grandfather" Argument: Following Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that Armenia is not Russia’s ally in the war against Ukraine, Russian propaganda immediately pivoted to labeling him a "fascist". The narrative seeks to explain geopolitical shifts through family history rather than national interest, reflecting the Kremlin's fear of a future where neighbors no longer seek its permission.

The "Handicraft" Prop Department: Analysis of "trophy" drones (e.g., ipso9maya.jpg) that appear to be crude plywood and galvanized sheet metal models from a school workshop. The neatly applied swastikas and "people in balaclavas" posing with these props are described as a "cheap farce" intended to hide the lack of actual technological success on the front.

Read more in the Ukrainian edition....