Kremlin.ru
New York Times: Shaken at First, Many Russians Now Rally Behind Putin’s Invasion
Polls and interviews show many Russians now accept the Kremlin’s assertion that their country is under siege from the West.
Opponents are leaving the country or keeping quiet. The stream of antiwar letters to a St. Petersburg lawmaker has dried up. Some Russians who had criticized the Kremlin have turned into cheerleaders for the war. Those who publicly oppose it have found the word “traitor” scrawled on their apartment door.
Five weeks into President Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, there are signs that the Russian public’s initial shock has given way to a mix of support for their troops and anger at the West. On television, entertainment shows have been replaced by extra helpings of propaganda, resulting in an around-the-clock barrage of falsehoods about the “Nazis” who run Ukraine and American-funded Ukrainian bioweapons laboratories.
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Update #1: Putin's Approval Surges After Launch of 'Military Operation' in Ukraine (Moscow Times)
Update #2: Putin's Popularity Is Up since The Invasion (AFP)
WNU Editor: A former Russian TV host tries to explain why Russian public support for the war and support for Putin is very high (see video below). His claim is that by controlling the information the Kremlin is able to manipulate public opinion.
I have a different view.
Most Russians, even with news restrictions/censorship/and media propaganda, do know what is happening in Ukraine. If not through family members or friends who are fighting in Ukraine right now, they know it via through Russian social media, access to alternative news websites and international media, and through people like me who oppose this war.
In my own case among the many hundreds of friends, family members, and contacts that I have in Russia. Aside from the young, everyone now supports the war. They share President Putin's view that this conflict as an existential threat to Russia, and will support it for as long as it takes regardless of the sacrifice.
Just like my Ukrainian family members, friends, and contacts who are determined to win the war against Russia at all costs, I see the same sense of determination to win on the Russian side. Needless to say no one is interested in my pleas that a way must be found to end the war.