Many Russians Face a Cold Winter Ahead – and Also Because of Putin’s War in Ukraine

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Oct. 29 – Ever more reporting has appeared suggesting that Ukrainians face a very cold winter in their homes ahead because of Russian bombing of infrastructure in Ukraine. That is undoubtedly true. But it is also true that many Russians face a cold winter ahead in their homes and also because of Putin’s war in Ukraine.
    The reason is simple: the Russian defense ministry has stepped up its purchases of firewood since Putin began his expanded invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and pushed the price of firewood up by 40 percent or more, putting it beyond the reach of the roughly one-fifth of Russians who rely firewood stoves for heat (newizv.ru/news/2024-10-29/za-10-let-drova-podorozhali-v-10-raz-rost-tsen-biet-po-starikam-i-maloimuschim-434061).
    Those who can no longer afford firewood will likely have to do without, and they will be cold. And it will be increasingly the case that they will connect the dots between the falling temperatures in their homes and Putin’s war – and thus have yet another reason for opposing what the Kremlin dictator is doing.
    What is especially noteworthy is that Russians who rely on firewood for heat are among the most rural and poorest part of the population of the Russian Federation, a group that has been Putin’s most reliable supporter as far as the war is concerned up to now. But they are less likely to remain in his corner if that leaves them and their families very much out in the cold.