Russian President Putin said a “self-purification” of Russian “scum” who oppose their country’s invasion of Ukraine will strengthen Russian society. His speech sets the stage for repressions against those who dare speak out against the war in Ukraine.
His voice strained by anger, Putin charged that Russians who oppose the war in Ukraine were a “fifth column" obsequiously serving Western interests and ready to “sell their own mother.”
A Russian TV employee is likely to face charges after holding a protest sign on camera during a broadcast that read "No war," and "don't believe the propaganda." Author Anatol Lieven says Russians are feeling fear of speaking out and facing repression. Putin and his lieutenants describe the war in Ukraine as a “special military operation” intended to uproot alleged “neo-Nazi nationalists” and remove a potential military threat against Russia— goals that most of the world has rejected as bogus.
The tight lids on information have helped the Kremlin rally support of broad layers of the population who rely on state-controlled television as their main source of news. State TV programs carried an increasingly aggressive message against those who oppose the war. The campaign in support of the war saw Russian cities flooded with “Z” posters and vehicles emblazoned with it. School children were shown standing in groups in the shape of the letter or wearing clothes marked with a “Z.”
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