They have to, because in reality they have less to appeal people with. The ONLY thing that Russia has going to its propaganda is that they're the underdog. Everything else is a lie.
Russia does lose a lot, but I recall earlier in the year that Russia was predicted to win against Ukraine. One is a former global superpower (and current regional superpower) with cutting-edge military technology ostensibly competitive with that of the US (not to mention nukes), and the other is Ukraine.
The world has learned since then that the Ukrainian language seems to lack any words for "I surrender", and that Russian claims of military might may have been rather drastically inflated.
I have noticed that identification with dogs has become very frequent in the past decade, apparently in more territories and among diverse cultures. If there is one thing that does not promise well...