How (some) Russians view the war

Below are three documentaries on how ordinary Russians view the war in Ukraine.

The producers are opinionated (as am I), none tell the whole truth (this is impossible), but they are honest and tell the truth as they see it (as do I).

The first two are from a Russian news site called Real Reporter  and are from a pro-war perspective.  The third is by an anonymous Russian documentary filmmaker and is from an anti-war perspective.

I present them because they gave me a view of ordinary Russians and a glimpse of ordinary Russian life that I hadn’t had before.

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Here are my takeaways from the videos.

1. A majority of Russians support the war out of patriotism.
2. A sizable minority oppose the war, but are afraid (with good reason) to speak up.  A large number, not necessarily war opponents, have left Russia to avoid military service.
3. Russians have nothing against Ukrainians, whom they regard as brother Slavs.  Pro-war Russians think the enemy is the United States and the Western alliance.
4. Russian troops are under-equipped and have to buy their own gear in military stores.  Strangely (or maybe not), privately-owned stores are well-supplied with military gear while the army itself falls short.
5. Russian troops are well-paid, compared to the average Russian.
6. Neither side’s propaganda about how the war is going is to be believed.
7. War is Hell.  But I knew that already.

Tags: Russia, Russian Mobilization, War in Ukraine