A nationwide campaign for children to make candles for soldiers, he said, has become so popular that anyone who questions it in a school chat group could be called a “Nazi.” and accomplices of the West”.
At the same time, he argues, little has changed in everyday life for Russians with no family members fighting in Ukraine, which has hidden or reduced the cost of the war. Western officials estimate that at least 200,000 Russians have been killed or wounded in Ukraine, a far more serious number than analysts predicted at the start of the war. However, the economy has suffered far less damage than analysts had anticipated, with Western sanctions failing to significantly reduce the quality of life of Russians even if many Western brands leave.
“I think one of the scariest observations is that for the most part, nothing has changed for everyone,” said Mr. Chernyshov, describing the urban rhythms of restaurants, concerts and his students. he is dating. “This tragedy is pushed to the periphery.”
In Moscow, Putin’s new war mentality is on display at the Victory Museum – a vast hilltop complex dedicated to the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany. A new exhibition, “NATOzism,” claims that “the purpose of the creation of NATO was to achieve world domination.” The second part, “Daily Nazism,” includes artefacts from Ukraine’s Azov Battalion, with far-right connections, as evidence for the false claim that Ukraine is committing “genocide.” against the Russians.
“It was scary, creepy and horrible,” a patron named Liza, 19, said of what the exhibit showed her, but declined to give her last name because the subject was politically sensitive. . She said that she was very distressed to learn of this behavior of the Ukrainians, as the Russian propaganda presented. “It shouldn’t be,” she said, signaling support for Putin’s invasion.
Hundreds of schoolchildren visited on a recent afternoon, and elementary school students in green military caps paraded as chaperones shouted, “Left, left, one, two , father!” and called them “soldiers”. In the main lobby, the studio of Victory TV — a channel that started operating in 2020 focusing on World War II — is filming a live talk show.
