Criticism of State of Russian Forces in Ukraine More Often Found in Pro-War Russian Commentaries than in Anti-War Ones, ‘Holod’ Journalist Suggests

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Jan. 6 – Many might assume that criticism of the state of Russian forces in Ukraine would appear primarily in anti-war commentaries and be largely absent from pro-war ones, but the situation in fact is exactly the opposite, Yevgeny Babushkin, a Holod writer who has examined several hundred Z-channels.
    Opponents of the war rarely get down in the weeds regarding the problems the Russian armed forces face, he points out; but those who favor the war and its goals do so because they believe such criticism can make the military effort there more effective (holod.media/2025/01/06/chto-volnuet-voenkorov-xxii/).
    Babushkin’s conclusion is important because many who are searching for details on the state of the Russian military in Ukraine operate on the mistaken assumption that they are more likely to find such criticism among opponents of the war than among supporters. But in fact the reverse is more often the case.