But why aren’t most Russians suspicious of propaganda? Zoïa Svetova newspaper in Moscow

It is now ten months since the start of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. Long enough to try to answer a fundamental question: Why aren’t the Russians protesting against it? What do they really think of this situation?

In mid-November, sociologists quizzed Muscovites for their monthly survey on the withdrawal of the Russian army from Kherson in southern Ukraine. 49% of respondents reported that they support this decision. 42% believe that the reason for this withdrawal is military, and 32% believe that its reasons are political. Sociologists specify that 81% of those questioned are concerned about the development of a “military special operation”.

But it is wrong to conclude that the Russians do not trust their military authorities, although a wave of information about the chaos in Ukraine and the deterioration of the situation within the Russian army reaches us through unofficial channels. Despite the discontent of the wives of enslaved people who demand that President Putin improve the living conditions of soldiers, the reality is unforgiving: most Russians still believe in the massive propaganda of the state media.

A setback, not a loss

I don’t watch TV, preferring independent news sources. But, in the mornings, from time to time I listen to Radio Izvestia, which broadcasts news from