"Apathy" among Russia's youth: Generation Putin is disillusioned - and afraid of the front

Created: 12/20/2022 3:39 p.m

By: Stephanie Munk

Putin with a meeting with young people in November 2022. © Mikhail Metzel/Imago

How does the young "Putin generation" feel about the Ukraine war?

In an interview with Merkur.de, an expert explains the dilemma facing Russia's youth.

Munich/Berlin - The young generation in Russia is also known as the "Putin Generation": They have never seen anyone in power other than Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has had the country firmly under control since 2000.

But how loyal are young Russians to Putin and his propaganda - and how do they position themselves on the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine?

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Felix Krawatzek from the Center for East European and International Studies conducts research on youth and generational change in Russia, focusing primarily on 18 to 34-year-olds.

In an interview with

from IPPEN.MEDIA, he gives an insight into the political culture of this generation.

Mr. Krawatzek, can you assess how young Russians feel about the Ukraine war?

That's hard to overlook.

The state in Russia tries to give the impression that the youth are completely loyal.

It is therefore easy to get the impression that she is behind the Ukraine war like a man.

But it is clear that young people do not only absorb what is given to them.

The problem is that alternatives are hard to find in public discourse because society is incredibly monitored.

Participation in protest and also critical online discourse is severely punished.

With video surveillance, the state knows exactly who protested on the street.

That sounds like surveillance like in China.

China is Russia's great example when it comes to social surveillance.

Russia is not there yet, but that is the goal.

Many young people also see in their friends the consequences of taking a stand against the war: penalties and harassment.

There is a risk of unpleasant conversations at the university or at work, or the withdrawal of your place at university.

This is probably also the reason why there were still protests at the beginning of the war, but since then there has been silence.

But of course there are also young people who take over the propaganda from above.

One can only guess how many there are.

I would say maybe around a third of young people really support the war, but that's not a sure number because we can't do research on such issues in Russia at the moment.

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Félix Krawatzek is a political scientist and heads the research focus "Youth and Generational Change" at the Center for East European and International Studies in Berlin.

© ZOiS

What is the general political mood among the young Russian generation?

In November 2021, we conducted surveys in two major Russian cities, which have already shown that young people have completely distanced themselves from politics.

There is apathy, disillusionment and a lack of confidence that anything can be achieved in Russia through the political route.

There is a widespread belief that whatever you do is irrelevant.

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What are the consequences?

Either the inner migration, i.e. the retreat into the private sphere.

You adapt, you have to live on somehow and you try to push the war as far away from yourself as possible.

Or you emigrate abroad, as many in Russia have done since the beginning of the war.

Polls have shown that 90 percent of those leaving Russia reject the Ukraine war.

What is the stance on Russian President Putin in particular?

The young generation has never experienced a different president than him.

It's not that enthusiasm for Putin is particularly great.

There is a clear majority of young people's opinion that he has been in power for too long and many feel betrayed by the 2020 constitutional reform.

But on the other hand, there is no idea who could be an alternative to Putin.

After all, no politician could ever present himself as a serious alternative.

About IPPEN.MEDIA

The IPPEN.MEDIA network is one of the largest online publishers in Germany.

At the locations in Berlin, Hamburg/Bremen, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart and Vienna, journalists from our central editorial office research and publish for more than 50 news offers.

These include brands such as Merkur.de, FR.de and BuzzFeed Germany.

Our news, interviews, analyzes and comments reach more than 5 million people in Germany every day.

What opportunities do young Russians use to obtain information beyond the state-controlled media?

If anyone uses alternative media, it is of course young people.

Platforms like the independent Russian online magazine

are relatively popular.

But the problem is: these sites are blocked in Russia and using them is against the law.

You need VPN access, and a credit card for that.

For most, this closes the door to alternative sources.

Is there a chance that young people will pass on information from social networks to the older generation and thus possibly contribute to a rethink?

You have to be very skeptical about that.

Young people don't just walk in open doors.

At the moment we are more likely to see that there are gaps between the generations.

The distortions between parents and children are sometimes enormous.

What fears do young people have of having to go to war in Ukraine themselves?

Concern has certainly increased since the partial mobilization in September.

This fear is enormous.

Before partial mobilization, for many people the Ukraine war was a matter of foreign policy that had no personal relevance for them.

Now the war has come home to the Russians, right down to their homes.

The wave of emigration has increased dramatically with the partial mobilization.

Even people who had previously had no intention of migrating made the decision to do so.

This exodus has now returned to normal, but a second wave may be coming.

Do people also fear a general mobilization?

Yes, that's a concern in Russia.

That wouldn't surprise many people.

At the moment, however, the state is still trying to keep the war away from the urban centers.

Conscription rates in Moscow, for example, are much lower than in more remote regions where many ethnic minorities live.

In this way, an attempt is also made not to directly confront the part of the young population that would be most likely to take to the streets against the war.

The interview was conducted by