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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Mikhail Shishkin

Neither Nato nor Ukraine can de-Putinise Russia. We Russians must do it ourselves

A poster bearing the letter Z in Kronstadt, Russia, showing support for military action in Ukraine.
‘Many of my fellow citizens support the war against Ukraine: they put the Z on their windows at home.’ A poster bearing the letter Z in Kronstadt, Russia, showing support for military action. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Bombed-out Ukrainian cities and the corpses of children are not shown on Russian TV. Brave young people in Russia who protest against the war are being beaten up and arrested, while most people remain silent – there are no mass protests, no strikes. It hurts to see that many of my fellow citizens support the war against Ukraine: they put the Z on their windows at home and on their cars.

Russian television now repeatedly shows an interview with the famous actor Sergei Bodrov, a cult figure in Russia. “During a war one cannot speak poorly of one’s own,” he says. “Even if they’re wrong. Even if your country is wrong during the war, you shouldn’t talk poorly about it.” And that’s what people do, willing to support “their own” even if they are shooting at Ukrainians.

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