The war through the eyes of Meduza readers. Today we are publishing a letter from Kirill from Salsk...

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War. What is happening on day 1,556. A Russian drone involved in the attack on Ukraine entered Romanian airspace and fell onto the roof of a residential building in the city of Galați in the southeast of the country. Two people were injured. Romanian President Nicușor Dan called...

The war through the eyes of Meduza readers. Today we are publishing a letter from Kirill from Salsk, Rostov region

Today I saw a drone with my own eyes, whose it was — what difference does it make, it’s disgusting. A fragment in my leg reminds me that the war is infuriating, and there is nothing you can do. The drone just fell on a civilian site, and no one properly demined it. We were told [that these are] our problems [...].

Apathy pierced me twice; my family saved me. Simply because I stopped seeing any prospects here. We, the civilian sector of the economy, are being shoved up the ass. Not by forcing us to fulfill a plan, no — they are simply strangling businesses. Only my family is still keeping me from emigrating. Any tax increase — and it will become cheaper for us to leave.

Recently I was riding the commuter train home from work; the conversations were generally weary and confused. Putin’s unbending resolve is gone, it evaporated in March-April and that was it, but the apathy did not go away, the feeling that the people cannot influence anything remained. The country suddenly became consciously detached from support for the authorities, and on a large scale. This is noticeable in actions too — the transport police are so indifferent (at least where we are) that they do not chase away either drunks or fare-dodgers. Of course, for 19 thousand rubles, how much can a conductor really do [...].

Now I am beginning to understand the point of the internet shutdowns — they are acting preemptively. The authorities are so afraid they will not hold on that it becomes ridiculous.

However, there is in fact no opposition, nor even the beginnings of it, nor a people finally enraged, so we will probably continue like this for a long time yet. The ray of freedom called the internet seems to have finally come to be perceived as a threat, apparently at the moment when, once again, the authorities in a whole bunch of regions pushed people over the edge with utility prices.

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