Four years have passed from the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Twelve years have passed since the capture of the Crimea and the start of war in eastern Ukraine. In 2022 it became manifestly clear that this was a war undertaken in order to destroy the entire Ukrainian nation. Its genocidal character is not concealed in the Russian media, it is emphasized: Russia cheers the decimation of Ukraine’s vital infrastructure and Russia relishes the death of Ukrainian civilians.
Yet Russian society — if there actually is such a unitary thing — exists in two aggregate states simultaneously. According to the official position, the society supports the war unconditionally and stands united and ready for sacrifice. In contrast, among the cultural dissidents who consider Russian society as a countervailing force to the Russian regime, the society is against the war but cannot express its disapproval for fear of punishment.
Which group is correct? What is Russian society and what does it think of Russia’s bloodletting? I think that the truth is not simply somewhere in between, not in numbers, not in the image of a society divided or oppressed or reduced to hypocrisy or coerced into mimicking the signals of loyalty desired by the authorities. Something else has happened in Russian society. The mask has grown into the face.