Sanctions have targeted banks, oil refineries, military and luxury product exports as well as members of the Russian regime and oligarchs with close ties to the Kremlin. Companies, too, have closed their doors in Russia, including fast-food giant McDonalds which has temporarily shut its roughly 850 outlets. Finally, a large number of Ukrainians have ties to Russians and Russia, through mixed marriages, work, professional relations and longstanding friendships. Crimea was the only part of Ukraine to have a slight majority of Russians at the time of the breakup of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, 55 per cent of the peninsulas population voted for Ukraines independence.

• But when things opened up in the 1990s, he says, his field exploded.
• The longer the war drags on, the deeper the human and economic toll in Russia, which will almost invariably impact public opinion, Botchkovar says.
• As the war in Ukraine drags on, though, these positive waves of public sentiment are getting shorter, particularly outside the major cities, and are needing to be deployed with increasing frequency across Russia.
• Lack of data about conditions in the Russian Arctic is already hampering climate science, and will cause ever-growing gaps in our understanding of how climate change affects the fastest-warming region of the planet, scientists warn.
• That sentiment, Ray said, is especially strong near the front lines in the nations south and east, where the toll of war is worst.

The economic collapse looming as a consequence of the sanctions imposed by Western states erodes popular consent for his rule, potentially even among those who rely on state-sponsored media for information. The sanctions now hitting Russia are being described as economic war - they aim to isolate the country and create a deep recession there. Western leaders hope the unprecedented measures will bring about a change in thinking in the Kremlin. There are, however, Russian independent media who still defy government restrictions. For example, Novaya Gazeta blurred out the anti-war poster held up by a protester who interrupted a live news bulletin on Russian state TV. As a result, some of the few remaining independent media in Russia have started to censor themselves.

Ukraine war: Why so many Russians turn a blind eye to the conflict

According to the website OVD-Info, which specializes in political persecution, some 19,850 people have been arrested for protesting since February 24, 2022. For this reason, the Kremlin is suspicious of the demands of the female relatives of conscripts. Some laid flowers and individually picketed with signs at the places where the Eternal Flame commemorates Russian soldiers. As reported by On the Way Home, some balaclava-wearing members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Center for Combating Extremism approached the woman on the subway to identify them. However, these efforts did not frighten them, and the women continued their initiative in the days that followed. Their town has been directly affected, so we are worried about them.