“Why have you come here?"
"Good question. But I can’t answer it.”
I spoke to Russians arriving at a patriotic concert on Red Square. It marked the anniversary of Russia proclaiming the annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions. Camera @AntonChicherov Producer @LizaShuvalova
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THREAD 1/ Today I re-watched some of my old Russian newspaper reviews. It reminded me that Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine (which took many by surprise) & Moscow’s confrontation with the West didn’t come out of nowhere. In this thread: pointers from the Russian press.
2/ 26 March 2018 – We begin with this insight into Russia’s information war on the West, as RT’s chief visits a “master class” organised by the Russian army.
3/ 31 March 2018 – As East-West relations worsen there’s “…a danger of a military scenario.” One paper declares: “Our journey to the West is over. Reconciliation is fundamentally impossible.”
THREAD To what extent does the Russian public support the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine? This thread isn’t based on numbers/percentages/opinion polls. These are my impressions from the last five months travelling across Russia, from speaking to people.
There is little public criticism of the Kremlin. Obvious reason: it’s risky. Draconian laws mean that public expressions of dissent can end in prosecution/prison. But in major cities (eg Moscow/St Pete) it’s not uncommon to hear criticism of the ‘special military operation.’
Across Russia, many appear to back what the Russian army is doing in Ukraine – or at least support the pro-Kremlin/anti-Kyiv version of events as shown on TV here. People often repeat almost word for word phrases they hear on TV (eg about “fighting Nazis” in Ukraine).