Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Centre, said the Kremlin’s nationalist push was greater even than the state-sanctioned euphoria that followed the annexation of Crimea in 2014, which sent Putin’s ratings to record highs.

“It’s a ‘you’re either with us or against us’ campaign. There’s no way to be neutral,” he said. “It might happen through the education system or at work — you have to express your loyalty publicly. And if you don’t that means you’re against it. You’re a pariah. You don’t support Russia and the letter Z.”

As the propaganda battle raged, state-run pollster Vtsiom has claimed that 71 per cent of Russians back the “special military operation”. Hostility towards the west has risen sharply, according to the independent Levada Center, with 55 per cent of Russians disliking the US in February, compared with 42 per cent in November.

“It’s not joyful like it was during the Crimean campaign,” Kolesnikov said of the mood. “It’s very charged with negative emotions, harsh statements and a hardline stance on enemies.”