Imagine believing their propaganda like a huge swath of the population does. You read and listen to stories from the mainstream news and believe everything they and through them the intelligence agencies tell you, including what they astroturf through social media. They were led to believe: That Russia's troops are in disarray. That Russian tanks and equipment is so poorly maintained that it's breaking down and has to be abandoned. That columns of Russian tanks are getting obliterated by Ukrainian forces. That Russian generals are corrupt and are selling military hardware on the black market. That Putin is in poor health (puffy) and might not be able to lead the country much longer. That the Russian forces are suffering unsustainable losses. That sanctions on Russia and on Russians will cripple the country. Despite all that the Russian army continues to trundle along, Zelensky keeps asking for more aid, Europe is running out of military hardware to send to Ukraine, Putin appears none the worse for wear, and the sanctions only energized and unified Russia. Imagine their minds trying to reconcile these conflicting pieces of information, forming more and more elaborate theories for how both things could be true, while deep down inside they are starting to get that nagging feeling that "their side" is losing.