Ukrainian War Exacerbating Divisions within Families and between Generations in Russia, Asmolov Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Feb. 28 – Russians across the political spectrum, both those who oppose the war and those who fear the consequences of a war they support on their own lives are increasingly on the brink of nervous exhaustion, Aleksandr Asmolov of the Russian Academy of Economics and State Service says.

            The psychologist says that many recognize that those opposed to the war are driven to speak and act as they are by psychological discomfort, the specialist on the psychology of the future says; but there is much less recognition that the so-called “hurrah patriots” are also suffering psychologically (rosbalt.ru/russia/2022/02/26/1946041.html).

            They are alarmed by the polarization of Russian society both within families and between generations and by the very real danger that they and those close to them will suffer as a result of Western sanctions, Asmolov says. Many of them are so disturbed that they represent a threat to themselves and others.

            Many Russians now need psychological counseling as a result of the war. Those who take part in demonstrations, however, are in better shape than those who don’t do anything. There is, of course, no single remedy that works in every case, the psychologist advises. But there are two things to keep in mind.

            On the one hand, those who focus on what the war means for themselves and their immediate family and friends do better than those who treat the war and its consequences more abstractly.

            And on the other, the entire society needs now something it has not had recently: a vision of the future that provides a basis for action by all Russians rather than one that is increasingly dividing them into two irreconcilable camps, those who support the Kremlin regardless of what it does and those who see no hope at all unless the current leadership is replaced.