Widely distributed on Russian Telegram channels, a propaganda video talking about the prospect of an end to the war in Ukraine has caused unease among pro-Kremlin military bloggers who want the invasion to continue, at least as far as Kyiv. Posted on Saturday, February 22, by Telegram channel Pool N3, the clip showed an elderly man sitting in his kitchen, talking with his wife about news from the front in Donbas, where the Russian army is making slow progress at the cost of heavy losses. "They need a month to take every village! They're treading water. How long is this going to last? We should have dropped a nuclear bomb on them a long time ago..." ranted the husband.

His wife nodded in agreement. The invasion has clearly dragged on too long. "Where's Kyiv?" she lamented, alluding to the capture of the Ukrainian capital, once presented by the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, as his main war aim. To appease her extremely irate husband, she added: "Everyone at the moment is talking about a deal behind the scenes." The "deal" in question actually refers to the ceasefire agreement that US President Donald Trump wants to conclude bilaterally with Putin. "They've agreed now, and we'll be able to go home," said two soldiers on the front line in another scene.

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