Russians’ support for hostilities will continue as long as the belief in the propaganda insulted by the state is maintained, writes Russian correspondent Erkka Mikkonen.
MOSCOW “We’re all in the same submarine on its way to the bottom”. This is how a news reporter working for Russian state television responded to me on the image service Instagram.
I had wondered from a Russian journalist I knew how he could continue to drum war propaganda as the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine only grows.
The Kremlin-controlled media, which lasted a week in Russia, is still referred to as a “peacekeeping operation.”
At the same time independent media activities increasingly restricted.
Yesterday, public access to the services of Russia’s only independent television channel, Dozh, and the radio channel Eho Moskvy, which traditionally sounded the opposition, began to be restricted.
Editor-in-Chief of Novaya Gazeta, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Dmitry Muratov has announced (you will switch to another service)that the newspaper will continue to operate under “terms of war censorship.” This means, among other things, that the publication must no longer call hostilities in Ukraine Russian invasion, aggression or even war.
In addition, Russia has blocked its citizens from accessing social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
A bill has also been brought into the Russian State Duma today to sentence 15 years in prison for disseminating false information about the country’s armed forces.
War censorship is intensifying at the same timewhen the Russian political elite begins to openly crack.
– I do not equate myself with those in power who stand up for war. They don’t understand what they’re doing, Senator Lyudmila Narusova said yesterday (go to another service) in independent media.
Narusova, who works in the upper house of the parliament, demanded that the Ministry of Defense publish the number of casualties of Russian soldiers and apply for the bodies to be buried in Russia. So far, some of the country’s regional leaders have reported individual casualties, but the total number of fallen soldiers is still being blacked out.
In addition, at least five members of the lower house of parliament, the Duma, have publicly opposed Russia’s hostilities in Ukraine. Anti-war criticism is still marginal among those in power.
It is good to understand that the Russian elections have become an official show in recent years, and no real opposition was elected to the country’s parliament in the September elections. Indeed, public opposition to war requires politicians in power to turn against their own.
The West is trying to turn Russian citizens anti-war opinion by isolating the country more and more, both economically and culturally.
Major U.S. film studios have already announced that they will stop distributing their films in Russia. The country is also resolutely excluded from all international competitive sports.
It is no longer far from when Russian sports channels are filled with local matches and cinemas instead of Hollywood productions are mostly patriotic war movies.
The intensity of the unprecedented economic sanctions imposed by the West is also gradually fading for the common people. Prices continue to rise and supermarket shelves are starting to run out of familiar products.
The purpose is to show the Russians what the president is Vladimir Putin the real cost of supporting governance. Russian TV propaganda, on the other hand, blames the sanctions exclusively on the West and only uses them to prop up the Kremlin’s position.
Ending the war would require the Russian people rising against their administration.
The survey was conducted by a FOM research institute close to the Russian state, and the independence of its results cannot be confirmed.
All the same, there are signs of a decline in Putin’s support.
For example, a Russian friend tells me how his parents who strongly support Putin are now embarrassed by what is happening. They believe the president was forced or tricked into launching a military operation in Ukraine.
Russian support for hostilities continues as long as faith in the propaganda insulted by the state is maintained.
For years, the Russians have been believed that patriotism means unwavering support for Putin. Therefore, it is still easier for most to believe the lies of their administration than to turn against them.
The Kremlin’s propaganda will only intensify – and at the same time the authorities’ coercive measures against citizens who oppose the regime will intensify.
– Unfortunately, all this will continue for a long time, and I am afraid that there is no way out, my acquaintance working for the Russian state TV channel ended his message to me.