In the nearly two years since Russia launched its \u201cspecial military operation\u201d against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian society has gotten used to living against the backdrop of a brutal armed conflict. A significant part of the population has reconciled itself to the idea that they will be living under the current state of affairs for quite some time, and that they must therefore adjust to reality, which ordinary Russians are in any case unable\u2014and often unwilling\u2014to change.<\/p>\n
All the na\u00efve predictions that popular discontent triggered by sanctions and the wartime restrictions imposed on daily life would bring down Vladimir Putin\u2019s regime have come to nothing. In many ways, quite the opposite has happened. Most Russians might not identify with the regime, but they have consolidated around the Kremlin, which they believe to be fighting tooth and nail against a West that is seeking to destroy Russia. Despite the fact that such a depiction is at odds with reality, a great many Russians have accepted it as the most logical explanation for this protracted nightmare.<\/p>\n
Naturally, some Russians are unhappy with the situation. Millions of people are opposed to authoritarianism and bloodshed, and some of them openly express their views and resist. There are also those known as \u201cturbo-patriots,\u201d who earnestly and aggressively support Putin. But the vast majority is apathetic, and simply passively and automatically \u201cmostly supports\u201d what the regime is doing while waiting for \u201call this\u201d to end. This part of the population has chosen to become apathetic: their condition can be referred to as \u201clearned indifference.\u201d Putin is a legitimate leader in such people\u2019s eyes, so his \u201cspecial military operation\u201d must be too. The next ritual imitation of a presidential election in March 2024 will surely confirm that there is no alternative to Putin. The apathetic majority can do little but wait for this difficult time to pass.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n My colleague @AndrKolesnikov<\/a> and @levada_ru<\/a>'s Denis Volkov have published a new @CarnegieEndow<\/a> paper documenting Russian attitudes towards the war. Main conclusion: support for the Kremlin's disastrous course is undiminished. Key findings in a🧵1\/ https:\/\/t.co\/nsgjD3ohhN<\/a><\/p>\n — Alexander Gabuev \u9673\u5bd2\u58eb (@AlexGabuev) November 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n