Russia pays a fortune to its poorest families for their loved ones killed in Ukraine, bringing more money to poorer regions. Serhii talks to Russians daily and knows their riches change nothing.
Thank you, Oleksandra, for what must have been a depressing article to write. The statistics about what percentage of Russians support Putin or Russia is not what we want to believe. And the conclusion you reach on the way forward also is not what we want to believe. But truth must be our baseline and we are grateful for your work to tell us the truth.
Oh my god. I had been curious how Russia keeps re-supplying more soldiers, thrown into a meat grinder with so many, many deaths. Now I know. I had no idea the desperate poverty so many Russians live with, and how resigned they are to this fate.
Life doesn't have to be like this. These people have been hollowed out by the meaningless of life without hope. We shouldn't judge them for their shallow pursuit of whatever money can buy them.. How would they know what to make of it, except to relieve the emptiness of a life that offers no hope for a better future?
🤷 They are the product of the "system" - most Russians don't have the opportunity to see or hear anything but what the State allows & are subjected to relentless lies & propaganda. Not to mention being abandoned to a life of deprivation and poverty - close parallels to the start of the MAGA movement in the US in the poorer regions, although the Americans have a chance to see/hear the truth ⁉️
I understand the attraction to the extra money, mercenary mentality, when civilian life is grim. The U.S. saw increases in recruits every recession. But these conscripted soldiers won't have their heart in the cause, unlike Ukrainians, so I doubt Russia will have long-term gains.
If the U.S. election brings in Democratic Party majorities I expect more support will find its way to Ukraine. At least that's my hope.
Thank you for your continued reporting in circumstances that are far from ideal. The monetary bonuses and death payments are something I didn't factor in to my assessment of how Russians view the war, nor the level of poverty that many Russians seem to be living in. Thank you for this information. Gil Duran's new book, Nerd Reich goes into the infatuation which Thiel and other tech CEOs - as well as J. D. Vance - have regarding governments by an authoritarian. Maybe they should experience an extended visit to Russia, without the benefit of their billions, to see exactly how desirable that might be. As to the ability to recruit, I lived in Iran during the Iran/Iraq war and young men were pulled out of lines at the movie theaters and asked to produce proof of military service. No proof, they were enlisted. It was not possible to get married, find a job, travel abroad, inherit money, attend a university, etc. without proof of military service. That is how the IRGC got its recruits. However, at that time, most were sent to the front.
👍💙💛 Great work by Serhii in opening a portal into the depths of Russian thinking beyond it's "leaders" - really fascinating.
When I was a young person just realising there was a world beyond the NZ borders, I hankered for an overseas trip to include Russian and the trans-Siberia railway. Those were the days when we didn't get much in depth insight into ANY country, it's people, it's govt, it's history etc unless we were in higher education & studying related topics, so I even thought the USA was pretty good 😱 Since then I've kept a bit of interest in Russia as it's evolved (or not?) through the years and the attitude of people in the poorest regions is no suprise, but it is still a shock to hear a wife hopes her husband gets killed so she gets a "coffin" payout 😢 I wonder if it was actually a plan rather than a marriage, given how many of the men never come home alive? Russia, despite all the horror in the US about a "Communist country" has long been a society of extreme wealth & privilege & extreme poverty, with brief attempts to change things ultimately failing due to the powerful never willing to give up their power & wealth. Just like any society, there are and have been some wonderful human beings born in Russia - sadly they either have to leave (if they can) or risk death if they speak up, so I don't see ALL Russians as being as inhumane & cruel as the ones we read about during this illegal invasion, either on the front or back " home". Indeed, there have been stories from Russian captives that show they are not all evil 🤷 Who knows what any of us would be like if we spent our whole lives in the poorest regions of Russia 🥺
Thank you, Oleksandra, for what must have been a depressing article to write. The statistics about what percentage of Russians support Putin or Russia is not what we want to believe. And the conclusion you reach on the way forward also is not what we want to believe. But truth must be our baseline and we are grateful for your work to tell us the truth.
This is a very informative post. Thank you!
Oh my god. I had been curious how Russia keeps re-supplying more soldiers, thrown into a meat grinder with so many, many deaths. Now I know. I had no idea the desperate poverty so many Russians live with, and how resigned they are to this fate.
Life doesn't have to be like this. These people have been hollowed out by the meaningless of life without hope. We shouldn't judge them for their shallow pursuit of whatever money can buy them.. How would they know what to make of it, except to relieve the emptiness of a life that offers no hope for a better future?
What utterly grotesque people.
🤷 They are the product of the "system" - most Russians don't have the opportunity to see or hear anything but what the State allows & are subjected to relentless lies & propaganda. Not to mention being abandoned to a life of deprivation and poverty - close parallels to the start of the MAGA movement in the US in the poorer regions, although the Americans have a chance to see/hear the truth ⁉️
I understand the attraction to the extra money, mercenary mentality, when civilian life is grim. The U.S. saw increases in recruits every recession. But these conscripted soldiers won't have their heart in the cause, unlike Ukrainians, so I doubt Russia will have long-term gains.
If the U.S. election brings in Democratic Party majorities I expect more support will find its way to Ukraine. At least that's my hope.
Thank you for your continued reporting in circumstances that are far from ideal. The monetary bonuses and death payments are something I didn't factor in to my assessment of how Russians view the war, nor the level of poverty that many Russians seem to be living in. Thank you for this information. Gil Duran's new book, Nerd Reich goes into the infatuation which Thiel and other tech CEOs - as well as J. D. Vance - have regarding governments by an authoritarian. Maybe they should experience an extended visit to Russia, without the benefit of their billions, to see exactly how desirable that might be. As to the ability to recruit, I lived in Iran during the Iran/Iraq war and young men were pulled out of lines at the movie theaters and asked to produce proof of military service. No proof, they were enlisted. It was not possible to get married, find a job, travel abroad, inherit money, attend a university, etc. without proof of military service. That is how the IRGC got its recruits. However, at that time, most were sent to the front.
Great post.
The more we think of the Russian psyche the more we know it was shaped by the Mongol hordes of the 13th century.
👍💙💛 Great work by Serhii in opening a portal into the depths of Russian thinking beyond it's "leaders" - really fascinating.
When I was a young person just realising there was a world beyond the NZ borders, I hankered for an overseas trip to include Russian and the trans-Siberia railway. Those were the days when we didn't get much in depth insight into ANY country, it's people, it's govt, it's history etc unless we were in higher education & studying related topics, so I even thought the USA was pretty good 😱 Since then I've kept a bit of interest in Russia as it's evolved (or not?) through the years and the attitude of people in the poorest regions is no suprise, but it is still a shock to hear a wife hopes her husband gets killed so she gets a "coffin" payout 😢 I wonder if it was actually a plan rather than a marriage, given how many of the men never come home alive? Russia, despite all the horror in the US about a "Communist country" has long been a society of extreme wealth & privilege & extreme poverty, with brief attempts to change things ultimately failing due to the powerful never willing to give up their power & wealth. Just like any society, there are and have been some wonderful human beings born in Russia - sadly they either have to leave (if they can) or risk death if they speak up, so I don't see ALL Russians as being as inhumane & cruel as the ones we read about during this illegal invasion, either on the front or back " home". Indeed, there have been stories from Russian captives that show they are not all evil 🤷 Who knows what any of us would be like if we spent our whole lives in the poorest regions of Russia 🥺
A ghastly situation for the poor.