Status: 02.10.2023, 05:27 a.m.
By: Maximilian Kurz
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According to historian Sergei Shernyshov, the people of Russia are doing well – despite the brutal war. © Jens Kalaene/dpa
Historian Sergei Chernyshev believes that since the beginning of the war, people in Russia have been better off than ever before.
MOSCOW – According to Sergei Chernyshov, a Russian historian, many Russians now have better living conditions than ever before. This assessment is based on observations in his hometown. This is reported by t-online, among others.
Chernyshov: "The majority of the country has never been better off than it is now."
Because of the daily loss of hundreds of Russian soldiers in the Ukraine war and enormous economic burdens, many experts hope that sooner or later the Russian population will turn against the leadership of President Vladimir Putin. But the Russian historian Sergei Chernyshev considers such assumptions to be incorrect. In his view, many Russians now have better living conditions than ever before.
In an article for Radio Free Europe, Chernyshev discusses his experiences in his hometown. During previous visits to his parents, who live in a more rural part of the city, he noticed a lack of road construction and sewerage. It is only in recent years that mobile phones, imported cars and gas connections have been introduced. Chernyshev does not see the apparent disadvantages of the war as a burden on the local community, but rather as an improvement in living conditions.
Historian is sure: war unites people ideologically
Chernyshev tells of the war returnees. Not only do they earn good money, but they now also enjoy a high reputation among the local population: "Many have the feeling that they are part of a big cause. Just as their grandparents defeated fascism, they would now fight the Nazis in Ukraine," Chernyshov explains.
For the historian, great criticism of the invasion of Ukraine is not to be expected from the older generations. He says: "The older ones welcome the return of the pioneers and the military drill including uniforms in the schools. They say it's about time before the youth finally fade away."
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The war is not so noticeable in the countryside
For the historian, families in the countryside would not be torn apart by fleeing military service. The men are either in prison in these regions, have already been called up or voluntarily joined the army to earn money. For Chernyshov, the large sums of money for participants in the war and the feeling of being part of a larger cause are a dangerous mixture: "If you don't think about it, you shouldn't be surprised if approval of the ruling Putin party is greatest where people should actually suffer most from the war."
The restriction of freedom of travel, repression against Kremlin critics and the decline of the ruble would hit people in St. Petersburg and Moscow above all, Chernyshov believes.
