Kremlin Warns Regional Officials Russians will Remain Divided after War in Ukraine Ends

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Dec. 1 – Officials of the Presidential Administration have told deputy governors who are responsible for domestic affairs and propaganda that Russians will remain divided when the war in Ukraine ends and that they must prepare for that in order to boost support for whatever Putin arranges.
    At a recent meeting, PA officials told the deputy governors that the war in Ukraine is coming and that while its outcome “should be regarded in society as a victory,” the reality is that “different social groups already perceive this differently: for ‘angry patriots,’ it means one thing; for ‘liberals,’ it means something completely different” (kommersant.ru/doc/7344159).
    As a result, the PA officials said, the deputy governors must “focus on ‘the quiet majority,’ which will be satisfied with the achievement of the goals outlined by the president – de-Nazification and demilitarization of Ukraine – as well as the preservation of new territories for Russia. And this majority must be preserved and expanded.”
    These declarations are significant for three reasons. First, they are a rare acknowledgement by Kremlin officials that the war is viewed differently by different groups of Russians who include both those committed to an expanded war that will achieve all of the initial goals Putin outlined and those who want an end to the conflict even if sacrifices have to be made.
    Second, these statements suggest that the Kremlin expects at least the hot phase of the conflict to end soon and wants to make sure that its representatives in the federal subjects are prepared to take action lest these current divisions deepen once some settlement, admittedly partial, is ready to be announced.
    And third, they indicate that the war is going to continue to divide Russian society even after the guns go silent at least for a time and that those divisions are something that the Presidential Administration hopes it can overcome by relying on the silent majority who will support anything Putin does.