Russians Are Questioning Their Government's Decision To Go To War

Despite the repressive mechanisms of the state, Russians have started complaining about the losses in Ukraine and their uncertain future

- Vladimir Rozhdestvenski

NEWS ABOUT THE war in Ukraine still occupies front pages, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for Russians to understand what really is happening. Even official reports from the ministry of defence—which hardly anyone believes—convey the impression that the “special operation” ordered by President Vladimir Putin has stagnated.

Independent sources say that the war is, at best, moving into a protracted stage. Russian troops suffer losses, run into ambushes, face fierce resistance and are hampered by shortages from overstretched supply lines. There are also reports about the lack of fighting spirit among Russian soldiers as they grow increasingly dissatisfied with the faulty planning and the needless death of their comrades. Against this backdrop, Russian authorities are trying to show how much they value the military, but they have not been quite successful. On March 27, Alexander Fomin, the Russian deputy minister of defence, visited a hospital and presented medals to servicemen who became disabled in the Ukraine campaign. While the function was widely covered on national television, the public response was mixed. “The military has no idea what kind of hell the lives of soldiers have turned into. Being on a wheelchair in Russia is a losing war,” say those who know about the poor infrastructure for the disabled in the country.