"Once Putin's administration is over ..." What a Russian man thinks

There are more than 9,000 Russians living in Japan (as of the end of June 2021).

How do these Russian-related people perceive the military invasion of Ukraine?

Also, is there any impact on their families and acquaintances?

A man in his thirties, who was born and raised in Russia and acquired Japanese nationality, talked about his current feelings and the situation of his family in Japan on condition of anonymity.

How do you perceive the Russian military invasion?

To be honest, I have no hope, or I don't know how to improve.

I don't think it's good to stop economic sanctions on Russia, and if the war situation worsens, I think Russia will collapse in some way.

Once the Putin administration is over, we can rebuild from there.

However, there is no hope.

What is the situation for a family living in Russia?

The family in Russia has no choice but to be in Russia, considering their current life.

It's not comparable to the Ukrainians who lost everything, but if economic sanctions on Russia continue, some places may run out of food or be unable to buy, and people may die in the coming months. Maybe.

I want to do whatever I can for the Ukrainians, and at the same time I want my family in Russia to help me.

Even if Russia collapses.

Do you have information in Russia?

Information is collected on the video posting site "YouTube".

There are channels in the country that haven't been blocked yet (as of March 17th) and are spoken by professors at Moscow State University, former central bank executives, and government officials.

In addition, journalists from radio stations who have recently stopped broadcasting and are critical of the administration are posting on video posting sites.

Is there any other way to get information?

In addition, there are Russian SNS "VK (VK)" and "Telegram".

Even if you don't know each other directly, you can know the situation of various people, and in Telegram, the independent media of Russia also sends information.

What is the state media reporting?

State media has released information such as "Ukraine was preparing nuclear weapons" and "President Putin has said that there was no other means."

Since it is not possible to prohibit the flow of information to the citizens, I think that we are trying to hide the facts by sending false information that becomes "noise".

In fact, when a Malaysian aircraft was shot down in eastern Ukraine in 2014, state media said it was unbelievable that "the United States was flying a corpse on an aircraft."

How do people in Russia feel about the status quo?

In my personal opinion, Russia can be broadly divided into three groups.

1. I am very opposed to what Russia is doing, I am shocked

2, I am not particularly interested in politics, I do not understand the situation

3, I support and support the war

[1, Russia is I'm shocked by what I'm doing]

According to a Russian politician who is familiar with politics, about 30% of all Russians are considered to be included in this group.

I think these people have some understanding of the world situation and are thinking that the Russian economy will collapse in the future.

[2, I'm not particularly interested in politics, I don't know the situation]

I think this group is the most popular.

It includes young people, but there are many middle-aged to elderly people, and I think it accounts for about half of the population.

I think these people only have access to information from the Russian state media.

I don't necessarily support war, but I don't believe it.

It seems that he has the idea that "President Putin is right."

[3. Supporting and supporting the war]

I think that this group includes about 10% of people.

However, I don't know the exact reason why I support it.

Because I have no connection with those people.

I don't want to get involved either.

If you ask why, I think you will repeat the same claim as the state media, such as "Ukraine is also responsible" and "President Putin had no other choice".

Do 2 or 3 people really think that there is no war?

Those who only look at the state media believe in the Russian invasion as "protecting the Russian-speaking Donbass as a special operation."

Even if I hear that "a bomb is falling in Ukraine", I think it is "fake news".

Or, the information has not come in in the first place.

I think it's a feeling that nothing is happening in the world.

Do you know about the local life

When I asked my family and friends, they said that the supermarket had products as usual and there was no panic.

However, I heard that the prices are rising little by little every day, mainly for foods imported from overseas.

There is a shortage of medicines, and some people who have intractable or serious illnesses and need a lot of medicines are moving to buy more at pharmacies.

She said that my mother also had a medicine that she had been taking for a long time and she had it.

Do you have any concerns

Economic sanctions are at a fairly high level.

This could incite people who only look at the state media to "the lack of food is due to the United States," and could increase Putin's support.

Apart from President Putin's "likes and dislikes," I think it's scary to have the image that "our country has been attacked" economically.

In Russia, we still have some information we need, but we are worried about what will happen in Russia when information control becomes strict and economic sanctions make the lives of citizens difficult.

Is there any change in the surrounding Russian people?

Some of my acquaintances are also influenced.

An acquaintance who was thinking of studying abroad in Japan could not enter the country due to the influence of the new coronavirus, but finally got a visa.

However, due to economic sanctions on banks in Russia, it is not possible to withdraw cash and buy plane tickets.

In addition, I have received many inquiries from Russian acquaintances living in Japan asking "How can I get Japanese nationality?"

Previously, acquaintances who were worried about their families in Russia and thought that it would be okay to obtain "permanent residence", said, "I can't go back anymore if I participate in a demonstration in Japan."

There is growing concern that if you participate in a Japanese demonstration and return to Russia, you will be detained.