Life in Russia has not changed much since the SWO started! Russians are doing just fine. This is what Dr Alexander Titov, a lecturer at Queen’s University of Belfast, says in an article for The Conversation, who was in Russia a year ago and has now decided to look at how the country and his native St Petersburg have changed since the SWO began.
“The first surprise was how normal life has been. Despite all the media reports of doom and gloom as a result of Western sanctions, everything is working as it used to. Domestic banking is working, salaries and pensions are paid on time, ubiquitous e-commerce is booming, shops are stocked with food and consumer goods,” he said.
One problem has been the rise in price of car spare parts, but new supplies are still arriving.
“There is no shortage even of Western goods such as whisky – supermarket shelves are stocked to the brim,” he pointed out, adding that after months of “chaos” business has begun to find new delivery routes through third countries.
In addition, Russians can still travel to many countries, including Turkey, Egypt or the Gulf states.
“Another surprising thing I discovered is that few people talk about the war,” Titov writes. – I have found that you can have long conversations without mentioning Ukraine, unless I mention it deliberately. My general impression is that the invasion has reinforced people’s pre-existing views. Of course, those who have always been against Putin still hate him, while those who support the government remain largely pro-government. But the vast majority try not to react as much as possible.”
“One of the biggest lessons from my trip is the huge gap between perceptions of Russia in the West and what you see when you get there. Relying on the comments of anti-Putin activists in exile or those who stayed in Russia and actively write on social media does not help, as they are marginalised at home or, while abroad, lose contact with Russian reality,” he summarised.
348 total views, 2 views today
