Putin is concerned about his personal security and the preservation of power. Therefore, in the Russian Federation they began to introduce a rigid system of autocracy, where everything depends on total control over the elites, the suppression of any dissent and the strengthening of the special services. Such a policy is dictated by fear of internal and external threats, writes Bloomberg. According to sociologists, support for Putin in the Russian Federation is decreasing. And the Kremlin is now seriously afraid of losing control of the situation, FREEDOM reported.
Putin is increasingly concerned about Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory and possible challenges in the country. Against this background, the Kremlin is strengthening security measures around the president and pressure on political opponents. On August 10, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation canceled the registration for the elections of the only anti-war party in Russia, “Yabloko“. Among the charges against “Yabloko“ are calls for extremism and foreign funding.
“The authorities must understand who they are supporting with such actions. They are supporting those people who are leading the country to disaster. They are supporting those people who are intensifying aggression in our society. They are intensifying anger, intensifying hatred. These people provoked an attempted military coup,“ said Nikolai Rybakov, leader of the anti-war party “Yabloko“.
All this is happening against the backdrop of total rhetoric in support of “eternal war“. In fact, it is about all parties supporting the continuation of military actions against Ukraine, says the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. According to it, the administration of Russian dictator Putin has ordered its subordinates in the occupied territories of Ukraine to provide the party “United Russia“ at least 70% “support“ in the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. “Yabloko“ was demonstratively removed from the elections so as not to win a noticeable percentage of the vote.
“This is yet another proof that the Putin regime does not see a future without war and is afraid to demonstrate support for anti-war sentiments. At the same time, an increasing segment of the population in Russia opposes the continuation of the war. These are mainly residents of the regions of Russia, although the same sentiment is also registered in Moscow, where rumors of a possible mobilization are perceived extremely negatively“, said Andrey Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation.
Russians are increasingly speaking out against the continuation of the war. Moreover, all recent surveys show that the majority of Russians want an immediate end to the hostilities, the consequences of which have recently been increasingly felt by Russian citizens. Public sentiment among Russians is influenced by Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, logistics centers, the fuel crisis, attacks on warehouses, as well as rumors of a possible new wave of mobilization, notes The Moscow Times. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces will continue to strike long-range strikes on Russian targets. And this should demonstrate to Russia and its citizens the need to end the war.
Amid the war, economic hardship, and attacks on Russian territory, Putin has increasingly distanced himself from society. According to the newspaper “Express“, the Russian president has begun to avoid trips to regions that could be attacked by Ukrainian drones. During his recent visit to Kazan, streets were blocked, electric scooters were banned, and internet access was limited. During another trip to Siberia, amid fuel shortages, locals were temporarily offered lower gasoline prices, but after the president left, prices rose again. And on the day of Putin's arrival, locals were advised not to go outside during the motorcade, not to go near windows, and not to use electronic and optical devices. The same situation was in Ulan-Ude.
“The entire government today relies solely on intimidation, on forcing citizens to obey. But it seems to me that the further it goes, the more difficult it is for the government to cope... The revolutionary situation is not yet ripe. But the fact that people are already tired of this, it simply infuriates them terribly, is already clear“, emphasized Bair Tsirenov, a deputy of the People's Khural of Buryatia.
Experts link all this to the real situation in Russia after 4.5 years of war against Ukraine. On the eve of the State Duma elections, the authorities are no longer counting on the maximum result. Therefore, they are trying to ensure a controlled and relatively plausible outcome of the election campaign. The expected tools are administrative resources, personalization of the campaign around Putin, military rhetoric and social promises, reports the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine. In this way, the Kremlin is preparing not to win the elections, but to simulate victory.