Calay News
A young Moscow resident who a year ago was preparing her final thesis and organizing a vacation in Kiev with friends now lives in a country cut off from the West following the “special military operation” that began in Ukraine in February 2022.
Like her, many Russians have had their plans and lives upended in the wake of this offensive. Although she has seen her life turned upside down, she does not feel entitled to complain and feels responsible for supporting the government in the past. Massive propaganda and a lack of access to alternative information have led many Russians to support the regime and the war, despite the majority of the population living in poverty.
Companies such as IKEA, Starbucks, KFC, Inditex, H&M, or Uniqlo have ceased operations in the country, but this has not affected the daily lives of most people. However, 10.5% of the Russian population lived below the poverty line in the third quarter of 2022, according to the German statistics portal Statista. In addition, the crackdown has intensified a rollback of fundamental freedoms that had already begun years ago.
Propaganda and repression have increased in a country that curbs any hint of opposition to the regime through prison sentences for opponents and the closure of human rights organizations and independent media.
Outside the big cities, most of the citizens are informed through the traditional media, which are the main tool of the Kremlin to spread its messages, contributing to an atmosphere of domination and aggression not only towards Ukraine but also towards a part of Europe and the world.
