A mother, Elena, and her son, Yuri, face off in the streets of Moscow, as the symbol of a divided Russian society after Vladimir Putin’s speech on Wednesday, September 21. The two are strolling down a shopping street, and like many Russians, they both listened to the news when they woke up. And in particular the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of reservists to relaunch the offensive in Ukraine: “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, warned the Russian president, we will of course use all the means at our disposal to defend Russia and our people”.
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Elena openly supports Vladimir Putin’s policy. Although she is married to a Briton, this sexagenarian considers that it is the West that pushed Russia to decree the mobilization. “I am very surprised that the whole world is surprised that we are taking these measuresshe gets annoyed. Does this mean that no one was listening to Russia? And there, everyone wonders how this is possible? We are in the process of settling this conflict, we did not start it.”
At his side, his son, Youri, 35, grimaces a little. If he does not want to upset his mother too much, he is not at all of the same opinion. The two generations are opposed head-on. “I have my own opinion, he replies, maybe I’m not going to give it too openly, but I don’t like it… VSThis military and martial atmosphere in my country does not please me.“
The split between generations around the war in Ukraine has been fairly standard in Russia since the beginning of the conflict. It finds itself further strengthened after the announcements of the Russian president. Youri cannot be mobilized, he is not covered by the decree which has just been signed. Nevertheless, according to him, a milestone has just been crossed with the announcement of referendums in the territories occupied by Russia.
“If the result of the referendums in Donetsk and Lugansk leads to their integration into the Russian Federation, then it will no longer be a special military operation, but real war. That’s why they announced the mobilization.”
His mother Elena thinks that it is necessary to assume the decisions of power, whatever the cost, and this even if young men like her son must be sent to the front. “Of course I’m scared, I have children. This situation, it’s not like you’re going to have fun at a festival. As a mother, I understand that this situation is serious and scary, but I think what is happening is justified. This is the answer we must give“, she argues under the eyes of her son.
Their two points of view once again seem irreconcilable. So like many Russians, Elena and Youri avoid talking about Ukraine on a daily basis.