The Putin administration held a four-day seminar for deputy governors last week to discuss a potential “victory narrative” for the war in Ukraine. Kommersant And Vedomosti reported Monday.

According to media sources, all leaders of Putin’s domestic policy team attended the event. A source told Kommersant that although various parts of Russian society have divergent views on the war, the Kremlin intends to focus its messaging on the “calm majority.” According to the administration, this demographic will be instrumental in achieving the president’s stated goals (the “denazification and demilitarization” of Ukraine) and maintaining Russian power. “new territories” as an acceptable outcome of the war. “The presidential administration assumes that the end of the crisis is inevitable and that it is important to prepare for it,” the source explained.

The vice governors were also reportedly briefed on the importance of shaping public opinion regarding the return of soldiers from Ukraine. The seminar highlighted the need to provide rehabilitation services and employment to former combatants to prevent them from joining protest movements or engaging in criminal activities, the sources said.

Additionally, the administration outlined key performance indicators for the 2026 elections, setting a minimum target of 55% voter turnout and at least 55% of official votes for the ruling United Russia party.

Finally, Vedomosti reported that the seminar focused on handling “problematic situations” and combating “external threats.” A communications exercise would have involved a simulation based on recent data troubles in a village in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, where anti-Roma riots took place in October after the murder of a local taxi driver. One source noted that inter-ethnic tensions have been identified as a potential vulnerability that Russia’s adversaries could exploit to fuel instability.