He spoke about this on his blog.
According to the expert, Putin has meanwhile visited various Russian cities and interacted with young people—in other words, he has begun going out among the public, where he is greeted with applause. Musiienko says this is reminiscent of North Korea and the way an adoring crowd welcomes Kim Jong Un. The expert wonders what Wildberries sellers might tell Putin, but these unfortunate people do not take to the streets to protest, so the situation is likely to continue.
“But the Russian dictator seems to be sensing something—he feels the pulse of the ordinary people, because the prolonged war and the consequences for Russia of our strikes are finally beginning to make themselves felt. That is why he has started making these public appearances: his motorcade is stopped, he gets out to shake hands, trying to look like a European politician. But this is more about demonstrating popular love—like ‘the people and Stalin,’ ‘the people and Lenin.’ Now it is ‘the people and Putin,’” explains Oleksandr Musiienko.
In this context, the expert says, it will be interesting to see whether the young people who protested against the Supreme Court’s decision to remove the only anti-war party, Yabloko, from the elections will take to the streets when the authorities tighten the screws even further in Russia, severely restrict internet access, close the borders, and intensify mobilization. In other words, he says, it is worth watching how widely these movements may or may not spread.
“But it is clear that Putin is traveling around the country and bending over backward to secure popular support and love. Apparently, they are conducting in-depth polling and seeing that things are far from being all right and that Putin could lose support in the elections. That is why all of this is happening,” concludes Oleksandr Musiienko.
