The war between Ukraine and Russia: Latest news – New York Times
But for many Russians, the defeat in the war in Ukraine is still inconceivable.
The majority of Russians, especially the older generations and the working class, believe in state propaganda, which fills their television screens with images of seemingly unstoppable columns of Russian tanks advancing through the Ukrainian countryside and violent talk shows that paint the conflict as a new chapter in their country’s fight against Nazism.
Even among the more educated and younger Russians, concerns about the economy and military failures have not yet crystallized into a sense of national catastrophe, said half a dozen residents of Russia’s capital Moscow and the province of Siberia. They spoke on condition of anonymity due to laws criminalizing any criticism of, or use of, the term war, to describe what their country is doing in Ukraine.
Western and Ukrainian officials say thousands of Russian soldiers have already died in the conflict. But death reports have been heavily censored by the state and concentrated on working-class families, preventing local tragedies from merging into national mourning.
The Russian government’s ability to protect the population so far from the worst effects of the increasingly draconian economic sanctions is another important reason why the vague concerns have not been spilled into panic or persistent protests, according to the interviewees.
Prices are rising steadily, but despite the fact that many Western companies are withdrawing from Russia, basic commodities remain widely available. Currency controls introduced by the government have artificially supported the ruble and created a sense of stability even when Russia is heading for economic isolation.
The longer the war lasts, the stronger the ruble, said a small businessman in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, referring to the Russian central bank’s emergency measures that supported the ruble by making foreign currency extremely difficult to obtain.
A large part of Europe’s airspace is closed to Russian aircraft and Russian banks have been disconnected from Western payment systems. But after the first break, richer Russians have found ways to resume their holidays at popular destinations such as France and Italy, which exacerbates an obvious sense of normality.
And even some Russians who say they initially opposed the invasion now say that their country has been left with no choice but to continue fighting until victory, even if it increases the risk of nuclear war.
Many Russians believe that the war is no longer against Ukraine, but has turned into a proxy conflict with the United States and NATO, which, they say, are using the conflict to destroy their nation.
Encouraged by Western support and successful counterattacks, Ukrainian officials are increasingly demanding that Russian forces be driven from all of Ukraine’s territory – including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 and which most in Russia see as an integral part of its state. At the same time, NATO is ready to expand along Russia’s borders following Finland’s decision to apply for membership in the Western Military Alliance.
This has enabled the Kremlin’s propaganda to begin portraying the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as a defensive war for the survival of the Russian state, an emotional theme in a nation that is proud to unite to repel foreign invaders through the centuries.
If it is pushed into a corner, Russia will always fight on, said another resident of Novosibirsk, who opposed the invasion.