An interesting article that has come out from the New York Times overnight.
It discusses the experience of the average Russian citizen since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the effectiveness of propaganda and it follows the story of one career military officer who just wants out.
It relates back to a number of the things we have discussed in class: corruption and incompetence among senior officials and the fear of retribution should one speak out (legally, socially and professionally). The soldier who wants out exhausts every avenue for avoiding being sent to the front but finds that "the regime changes the rules in the middle without warning. It was as if you were playing chess with an abusive opponent — sometimes you could pull a Queen’s Gambit, sometimes your opponent just smashed you in the face with the board."
Most profound is the fear that 'silent dissidents' experience. Not only the fear of expressing an opinion negative to the regime, but the fear of war and going to it.
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