Since Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine commenced in late February, opposition media and protests have been shut down and the country’s citizens have been living in a propaganda bubble that lets few dissenting voices in. And it works. Faced with a choice between the basic facts about the war against Ukraine and a self-contradicting fantasy most are choosing the later even over the firsthand testimony of Russian soldiers in the field or their own siblings, friends, and former neighbors living abroad.
I spoke to a number of immigrants from Russia living here in Maine about their distressing experiences trying to communicate with deluded family and friends back at home. They all said they think there’s no chance of a popular uprising against Putin. The lies have won. The story is in this week’s Maine Sunday Telegram and online here.