Russian Officials Clearly Worried People in Regions and Republics May Be First to Question Putin’s War Once It Ends, Latypova Says

Paul Goble

    Staunton, May 14 – The effort by officials in Russia’s regions and republics to link World War II and Putin’s war in Ukraine together than people there who have suffered disproportionately higher losses in the latter conflict than the country as a whole may begin to question what Putin has been doing in Ukraine, Leyla Latypova says.

    “As patriotic favor wanes and plus military payments evaporate from bank accounts,” the Moscow Times correspondent says, “more and more residents – especially indigenous ones – could start question the true meaning of the sacrifices made by their loved ones” (themoscowtimes.com/2025/05/14/the-kremlin-prepared-the-regions-for-peace-talks-but-few-took-notice-a89075).

    Linking the two wars together, Latypova suggests, “helps delay those questions;” and “it is no coincidence that authorities in ethnic republics – especially in Sakha and Tatarstan – splurged on military parades and accompanying celebrations while heath care, educational and vital infrastructure projects in these areas suffer from underfunding.”

    “Whether following Moscow’s orders or their own hunch as to what will please the Kremlin,” she continues, “Local officials bet that [such] propaganda can effectively prolong the life of the regime in Moscow and, by extension, their own.”

    This article is from Regions calling, a new weekly newsletter from The Moscow Times. It can be subscribed to online at mailchi.mp/moscowtimes/regions-calling.