Notes

What Do Russians Think of Ukrainians, and Vice Versa?
If Ukrainians succeeded in fully reforming their country along lines of other western democracies, it would set a bad precedent for former Soviet countries and serve as an example for Russians who want a more democratic country. “For me, the special military operation is a stage that must be passed – whether there should be an intrusion into so many lives is another matter. Airfares were growing each time I refreshed the page and having reached the figure of 300,000 rubles ($4,000), I understood that an alternative was needed and bought bus tickets to Tbilisi with my girl from Moscow for 5,000 rubles ($66) each. This special operation is complete nonsense and an absurdity that no one needed. Although Ukraine is a much smaller country, it is strong patriotically.


Right now, we cannot withdraw other currencies at ATMs until September. And we’re seeing products disappear from shelves – rice, flour, sugar, canned food – but I guess that’s really just because of mass panic. I have never seen empty shelves in stores in the centre before. Yesterday, I couldn’t buy contact lenses because they ran out in the store where I would normally buy them. It seems like it will close – I saw employees removing shelves and emptying boxes, and the light was turned off.

Photos: Women’s Beanpot, winter storm and pops of color
Anti-war protests have broken out in scores of cities across Russia, and many have taken to social media to express their shock and anger at the decision to attack a nation whom Russians consider kindred, and where many have family ties. Early Thursday morning, any remaining skepticism that their country would invade was put to rest, when Mr. Putin declared a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Even those who did agree to answer the questions in Miniailo’s survey displayed a heightened level of fear and discomfort.


Almost three-quarters of Ukrainians believe that their country will join NATO and the European Union within a decade, Gallup’s polling shows. Ukrainians are deeply confident in their military, with approval ratings at a record high of 95%, according to Gallup. Support for Zelenskyy has faltered slightly but is still overwhelmingly strong at 81%. “Although there is some evidence of fatigue, Ukrainians overall remain committed to winning the war,” Ray said.

Many Russians Feel a Deep Unease Over Going to War
Standard polling often concentrates on population centers including Moscow and St. Petersburg, which can skew national averages. Outside of those major cities, a more negative picture emerges. Our analysis shows that the Kremlin is increasingly unable to control public sentiment outside major cities with national propaganda.


According to the website OVD-Info, which specializes in political persecution, some 19,850 people have been arrested for protesting since February 24, 2022. For this reason, the Kremlin is suspicious of the demands of the female relatives of conscripts. Some laid flowers and individually picketed with signs at the places where the Eternal Flame commemorates Russian soldiers. As reported by https://houmann-monroe-2.federatedjournals.com/ukraine-invasion-russians-feel-the-pain-of-international-sanctions On the Way Home,’ some balaclava-wearing members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Center for Combating Extremism approached the woman on the subway to identify them. However, these efforts did not frighten them, and the women continued their initiative in the days that followed. Their town has been directly affected, so we are worried about them.


This has been pretty hard as we have very different views. Now, I’m very encouraged by the fact that the world understands that the Russian people did not choose this war, that instead it was started by a president who lives in some absurd reality of his own. And if I am not imprisoned soon for speaking out against war, I want to try – together with like-minded people – to do everything I can to give our country hope for a peaceful future. “In the past few years, I’ve become closely involved with volunteering. Roughly speaking, I just started helping another part of the population. Over 2022, I helped with humanitarian aid for visiting refugees from the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, collected humanitarian aid, and wrote letters for mobilised servicemen.

The invasion of Ukraine is just an expansion and escalation of the earlier hybrid war. The “partial mobilisation” declared by Vladimir Putin on September 21st looks like forced improvisation and it is disrupting the balance of interests and loyalties in Russian society, where views on the war are very mixed. Russian propaganda is good at manipulating public opinion. Russian President Vladimir Putin has often expressed the view that Russians and Ukrainians, as well as Belarusians, are one people – a nation divided. But with the invasion of Ukraine, the dream of Russian collaboration in the project stalled, he says. This week, ‘Road Home’ posted a video on its channel in which an alleged Russian soldier confronted policemen for trying to prevent the women from laying flowers.
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