Split opinion on the streets of Moscow: Ukraine war curse or blessing for Russia?

Created: 12/02/2022, 12:00 p.m

By: Felix Durach

How do Russian citizens see developments in the Ukraine war?

A picture of the mood collected by a radio station shows a divided opinion.

Moscow — The war between Russia and Ukraine has now been going on for over nine months.

A lot has happened on the battlefield since then.

While President Vladimir Putin's troops were still at the gates of Kyiv in March, the front lines are now in the east and south-east of the country.

The troops on both sides were badly affected by the ongoing fighting.

Reports show precarious conditions among both Russian and Ukrainian troops.

Countless soldiers and civilians lost their lives in the Ukraine war.

Moscow citizens on the Ukraine war: “Russia always wins.

It never loses"

And for what?

With that question, US-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe took to the streets of Moscow, asking residents for their opinion.

The picture of opinion in the Russian capital, which the broadcaster draws, is diverse.

Citizens only agree on one thing: no one describes what is currently happening in Ukraine as a “war”.

Respondents chose the Kremlin’s official designation: “Military special operations.”

Two Russian soldiers patrol a railway line in the Kherson region.

© Evgeny Biyatov/imago-images

And also in the classification of the developments, some follow the line set by the Kremlin.

“We had no time to lose.

We had to do it and we won," a Russian woman interviewed told the radio station about the reasons for the invasion.

“Russia always wins.

It never loses.

It's been like this for years,” agrees another Moscow citizen.

The woman went on to explain that she only lost one thing as a result of the special operation: her freedom to travel.

"But Russia is so big, I will see more of Russia that way." Another man, in line with the Kremlin portrayal, emphasizes: "There is no place for fascists in the world."

Ukraine war: also critical voice from Russia - "I can only see the losses",

When asked about the Ukraine war, not all respondents wanted to comment.

“I would rather not say anything about the military special operation.

I just believe that one day there will be peace,” said one of the respondents.

"I can't say anything about that, as you well know," another man told journalists.

Criticism of the Russian government cannot be expressed among the population without danger.

Nevertheless, this did not prevent various citizens of Moscow from making critical statements about the Ukraine war.

“Russia obviously lost the lives of its soldiers.

But what have we won?

For me personally, the losses outweigh the gains,” explained another citizen interviewed.

"That is a difficult question.

I don't see any gains.

I can only see the losses," read another man's criticism.

In an interview, a young man worried about Western sanctions and the "crisis" in Russia.

He also pointed out that many brands had left the country.

The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope

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War between Russia and Ukraine: End unpredictable

However, it is currently unclear how the Kremlin defines a victory in the “military special operation” against Ukraine.

However, the focus of the Russian armed forces is currently on the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Cherson regions, which President Putin declared annexed.

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In the latter case, however, the Russian army suffered a major setback when the military leadership decided to withdraw from the regional capital of the same name.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly insisted that Ukraine would have to push the Russian occupiers back beyond the pre-2014 borders to win.

That would also mean a reconquest of the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula.