The Kremlin is reportedly telling Russian civilians that the presence of Ukrainian troops inside their borders is the “new normal”, according to the independent Russian-language publication Meduza. Kyiv’s forces launched a successful incursion into Russian soil earlier this month, a development that could turn the conflict on its head.

The Russian government apparently does not expect to expel Ukrainian forces in the near future, so it wants its people to adjust to the Ukrainian presence. “This is necessary so that people consider what is happening not an aberration, but a new norm, albeit temporary. This should be reassuring,” a Kremlin-linked source told the outlet. The “new normal” — where have we heard that one before?