Navigating "Strategic Normalcy" Propaganda in Active Conflict Zones

Critics and independent analysts, however, viewed the visit with skepticism, noting that the "veneer of normalcy" was maintained by heavy security presence just outside the mall’s perimeter. While the interior looked like a typical Friday afternoon, the reality of the war was never far away, with anti-aircraft batteries visible on the surrounding hills. To many, the spokeswoman’s tour was a "Potemkin exercise"—a theatrical performance designed for state television cameras rather than a reflection of the genuine atmosphere in the city's more vulnerable neighborhoods.