C.‘is the great, oceanic one flow of Ukrainian refugees, fleeing the bombs. And there is the exodus of the Russianshundreds of citizens, who leave their country to escape the Country as it is today, scourged by sanctions, and as we fear it will be tomorrow. The life of the Russians is getting more difficult with each passing hour. So as long as they can, they try to reach Finland above all, the European country that shares the longest border with Russia (1,335 kilometers), to be crossed by train or car, since airspace is forbidden to them. A possible but complicated escape route, between visas and vaccination certificates.
Daily life in Russia today
Life under the skies of Moscow is tough and threatens to be harder every day: Western sanctions they brought down the ruble, which has lost 90% of its value against the US dollar since the beginning of the year. The ATMs have emptied, stormed by the panicked population. About half of the central bank’s reserves have been frozen overseas. And there are so many foreign companies that have closed their branches on Russian soil: from Chanel to Dior, from Ikea to Nike, from Sephora to Apple, from IBM to Microsoft.
No big brands, no credit cards
It is not difficult to imagine what it means: not only will no Russian be able to buy a Billy Ikea or an iPhone anymore but, above all, tens of thousands of people were left without work. And on the stands of the shops the products made in Russia are back: for example? The cosmetics. Few brands resist, like Fast Retailing, Uniqlo’s parent company: it will keep the group’s branches open in Russia, because, according to the group’s CEO, “Russian citizens have the same rights to live as we do”.
To live, not to buy. Not anymore: following a specific request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, credit cards PayPal, Mastercard, American Express and Visa they have suspended services in the country. They will no longer work abroad. And there are those, like the journalist Andrei Kolesnikov, he warns: it is a move that plays Putin’s game, isolating the country from the rest of the world. Whoever wants to leave will no longer be able.
Martial law on the horizon
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – MARCH 6: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian Police officers detain a woman during an unsanctioned protest rally against the military invasion in Ukraine on March 6, 2022 in Central Moscow, Russia. Police detained about 3500 people at anti-war protests across Russia, including 1750 in Moscow on Sunday, the Interior Ministry officials said. (Photo by Konstantin Zavrazhin / Getty Images)
Self more and more people imagine their future away from Russia it is also because for a few days it is feared that Putin decides to impose martial law. He denied (in theory an attack on Russia is needed to be able to impose it) but for many analysts he is only stalling. If he took action, the inevitable consequence would be the closure of the borders: leaving Russia would then become impossible. As in the Soviet era.
Getting informed is impossible
Already, everyday life is far from free in Putin’s shadow: people are stopped in the street and “invited” to show smartphones, as the Russian journalist testified Ana Vasilyeva (see below).
The censorship has been total since the 4th March, Putin signed a law introducing it penalties for those who spread information deemed false about the Russian army and for those who speak of “war” and “civilian deaths” due to the situation in Ukraine. They face up to 15 years in prison. According to the President of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, it is the answer to the “information war without precedent in terms of breadth and aggression” launched by the West against Russia.
Blocked Facebook and Twitter. Western media outlets such as the BBC, Voice of America, Radio Liberty, Deutsche Welle, or independent Russians such as Meduza, most of whom in Russia are classified as “foreign agents”, have been censored. But the Kremlin wants theto completely block internet access, “by 11 March all servers and domains will be transferred to the Russian intranet“.
Protesting is dangerous
Since the beginning of the war, there have been many protests: in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but up to Vladivostok and Siberia. Over ten thousand arrested: a more massive dissent than in the past. Even if a large part of the population, especially in the countryside, believes or wants to believe the propaganda. Anyone who receives news only from state TV accepts the Kremlin’s version: there is a Western conspiracy against Russia. And he celebrates Putin, who promises to compensate the families of the “heroes” who died in Ukraine with 12 million rubles (about 90 thousand euros). “Russia has plunged into darkness,” said the political scientist Tatiana Stanovaya interviewed by Le monde: «What emerges is a totally new regime ».
The life of the Russians
Let’s try to imagine life in this moment. For the Russians it was normal to own Western consumer goods, they were fanatical about them: they will never find them again. On the counters of supermarkets and shops they will find only local products, those that until yesterday they snubbed, at incongruous prices. But it will be difficult for them to find even more important assets than a Sephora eyeshadow, such as sugar, toilet paper or nuts. Or like insulin, because that too was imported. They may have lost their jobs, and in any case their currency is worth nothing. They cannot cheer on their teams and their athletes, because they have been banned from all international sports competitions. They can’t watch Netflix, they can’t play Fortnite. They cannot be informed. And leaving the country is becoming more and more difficult.
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