“No to war!” – Anyone who makes such statements in Russia under Kremlin chief Putin about the Ukraine campaign must also fear imprisonment. The mood in the country is depressing.
Anti-war protests, open tears in conversations in the office or on the street, worries or sheer horror: Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine leaves no one in Russia indifferent.
“There is a depressing atmosphere. Many are worried about where all this will lead,” says barista Dmitri in a coffee shop in Moscow. On the new Arbat in the center of the Russian capital, people are again protesting spontaneously against Putin’s attack on the neighboring country, although those in uniform often use brute force.
In dozens of cities, including Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg, people are taking to the streets. There have already been thousands of arrests. On Sunday, the German ambassador Géza Andreas von Geyr and other diplomats from EU countries will be near the Kremlin – officially to commemorate Boris Nemtsov, a critic of Putin who was murdered seven years ago. But the thoughts are also in Ukraine, as announced by Geyr. Former Deputy Prime Minister Nemtsov was a great friend of a free and independent Ukraine, which is now struggling to survive.
Long queues at ATMs
Many who are aware of Putin’s bloody battle in Ukraine say they are “ashamed” of their country. And quite a few cry. For many people in the largest country in the world in terms of area, however, it is not at all clear why Putin unleashed the biggest world crisis in decades. But everyone feels that something is wrong – which is also evidenced by the long queues at the ATMs. After the West imposed sanctions on Russian banks, many ATMs no longer issue money at the weekend.
Russian state television explains at length the Kremlin line that the “special operation”, which officially cannot be called war, is about a peacekeeping mission. Putin explained his attack on the neighboring country on Thursday that he wanted to demilitarize the country aspiring to join NATO. And he claims that the leadership and the armed forces are riddled with “drug-addicted neo-Nazis” whom he wants to destroy. There is no evidence.
But anyone who only looks at the Russian state television production can get the impression that Putin could have a reason for his actions. Still, many doubt whether it’s worth throwing Russia into even worse economic problems than it already has. Most people in Russia get their information from the state media, which only reflect the Kremlin’s point of view.
Massive censorship in the country
The information world in Russia is massively censored. The power apparatus wants to prevent images of destroyed Russian tanks or dead people from causing an outcry in Russia and driving even more people onto the streets.
Social networks like Twitter can no longer be opened on smartphones on Sunday. Even Facebook can only be reached without problems via specially protected connections. The media regulator Roskomnadzor is threatening a total blockade. Russian media are not allowed to use terms such as “invasion”, “declaration of war” and “attack”.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev increased fears over the weekend that Putin could also use the war to establish a Soviet-style dictatorship. As deputy chief of Russia’s National Security Council, he advocates the reintroduction of the death penalty, raising fears that Russia could nationalize all the assets of Western investors – especially those from the United States – as a reaction to the sanctions.
Calls to end the war
Despite this, more and more Russians are petitioning Putin to end the war against Ukraine immediately. “We, Russian doctors, nurses and paramedics, are firmly against acts of war carried out by the Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine,” says a letter signed by more than 300 people. Dozens of Russian aid organizations publish an open letter to Putin asking him to end the war. “War is a humanitarian catastrophe that increases pain and suffering.”
A statement signed by writers, filmmakers and other artists, as well as members of the media, read: “The war against Ukraine started by Russia is a disgrace. This is our shame, but unfortunately the responsibility for this will still have to be borne by our children, a whole young generation and by Russians who are not yet born.” Many are also wondering whether the mood in the civil servants of the Russian power apparatus, the basis of Putin’s system, should change at some point.
But writer Lyudmila Ulitskaya says she doesn’t expect open protests in Russian society. “Our society is in the deepest apathy, depression and fear.”
Source: Stern
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