A week after the start of the Ukrainian forces’ incursion into the Kursk region, Muscovites remain placid. Few dare to give their opinion to a foreign journalist.
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About 600 kilometers from the fighting on Russian territory, the contrast is striking. In the streets of Moscow, there is no agitation. Nothing suggests that the country is at war. In mid-August, Muscovites are enjoying a mild summer evening and few are willing to speak out about what is happening in the Kursk region. “We don’t want to talk about it”explains a Muscovite.
“We don’t care. Are they still bombing? So be it!”
A resident of Moscowto franceinfo
Some are not even aware of the Ukrainian offensive. “They’re bombing? We don’t even know what’s going on. We’re not interested,” says a resident of the Russian capital. Is this indifference feigned to better avoid answering disturbing questions? It is difficult to judge.
The vast majority of Russians do not like to comment on this conflict when they are caught off guard. But by dint of insisting, we still end up getting real reactions. “It’s probably a diversionary tactic because the New York Times and all the media are saying that, militarily, it doesn’t make any sense,” says a Muscovite.
“What are they looking for? A favorable negotiating position, probably!”
a Muscoviteto franceinfo
But this implicit recognition of possible Ukrainian war aims is not necessarily shared. “It could be a kind of Pearl Harbor. Two atomic bombs then fell on Japan. But I hope there are no such crazy people in our authorities,” another resident continues.
This sample of reactions illustrates the diversity of points of view on the Moscow street. But above all, it shows that the population has understood that giving its opinion publicly, especially to a foreign journalist, can cause trouble.
