At his highly orchestrated rally the president for life would have the people believe that he is saving the country from fascism. The blatant contradiction between his bizarre fantasy and the ugly reality has resulted in a Kafka-esque world for many Russians; particularly the best informed within the state apparatus at home and abroad. The imposition of censorship by Roskomnadzor, the prohibition against using the word war to describe what is so obviously a war against Ukraine, police suppression of public demonstrations, the ever increasing rate of inflation and the acute shortages of goods, especially staples like sugar and macaroni, have all contributed to the increased levels of stress and depression registered recently among the population in Russia.
A growing frequency of articles in the press by psychiatrists and heart specialists discussing the damaging effects of stress, even at low but continuous levels, indicates that not all is well with morale at home while war is waged abroad.
Betweeen 27 February and 6 March pharmarcists in Russia sold four times the amount of anti-depressants than the year before.
Of course, compared with the population in neighbouring Ukraine, starved of food and drink, freezing from lack of heating, subjected day and night to terrifying bombardment and living in fear of imminent obliteration, these Russian levels of stress are nothing. But combined with the sense of international isolation, enhanced by ever stronger censorship and material deprivation due to Western sanctions, the pressure within Russia from the intensifying frustration will build rather than decline as it has no outlet; some are sure to turn in on themselves and suicides will rise; others will no doubt in the end lash out at the forces of “order” on the front line.
Kommersant‘:
18.03.2022, 01:19 обновлено 11:50
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Through Russian Eyes 