Caught between the actions of the Kremlin and the sanctions, the population begins to suffer from the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
in GUM, in this shopping center located on Red Square and selling only luxury goods, the windows look gray. Nearly a third of the brands represented lowered the curtain after committing against the war in Ukraine. Everyone announces, not without modesty, a “technical closure”. Further, on Tverskoy Prospekt, the store of the Swedish brand H&M was closed.
The light is constantly on, the clothes are covered with polyethylene so that they do not collect dust. As part of the international movement against the war in Ukraine, about 200 companies have announced in recent days that they are leaving or temporarily halting their activities in Russia.
These decisions were made without state sanctions, for economic and image reasons. From the Kremlin’s point of view, these statements are symbolic, but their consequences for the daily life of Russians will be very real.
Further, in this heap of advertising, the famous McDonald’s on Pushkin Square stood out. This the first American restaurant appeared in 1990 after the collapse of the USSR. The company assures him that it will soon close along with 850 other stores across the country and 62,000 employees.
Russia accounts for 9% of the company’s turnover. Which certainly explains the slow implementation of this media announcement. Moreover, the Russian authorities say they can replace the American brand with a local ersatz “in six months.” A list of sixty foreign companies that could be nationalized was also sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Population under glass
These sanctions are still, in spite of everything, something intangible for many Russians, gradually prices are rising in their supermarkets. move the ruble continues to fall : a shopping cart that cost 30 euros before the launch of the Russian operation in Ukraine now costs more than 50 euros…
The Russian state is forced to act quickly to limit the damage. The law on “support for Russian citizens and companies during the period of sanctions” should soon come into force. In particular, it provides for the indexation of pensions and social benefits, as well as that the increase in the minimum wage. The government has also proposed tax breaks and zero VAT for hotels.
Another recurring issue surfaced this week. I often encounter drug supply problems Elsewhere, increasingly isolated, Russia could face drug shortages if the crisis continues.
The daily newspaper Kommersant reported on Wednesday that many pharmacies are already running out of diabetes products, such as insulin. However, Russia has its own industries, which clearly do not enjoy the confidence of the Russians. According to the newspaper, “patients expect either a shortage of these goods or a twofold increase in their prices and buy “everything possible for the next year.”
information bubble
These announced closures are likely to have full effect on the population, not the Kremlin. Tens of thousands of Russians may end up in unemployment time of crisis. Although European politicians seem to believe that the economic crisis will force the Russians to abandon their president, previous sanctions have had the opposite effect.
The Russians are yet to assess the future impact of the sanctions. Xin Hua – Bai Xueqi
For good reason, locked in information bubble, few Russians are aware of what is happening on the Ukrainian side. The Russian media always talk about the fight against “Ukrainian Nazis who took the population hostageVideos collected locally by Western journalists reach the public well via social media, but the fires are quickly put out by state-run media, which categorizes anything coming from the outside as “fake.” The rhetoric of a Kremlin-led besieged citadel could become real for many Russians .
To this life under glass is added inability to publicly speak out against this war. Failure to comply with the new law, which imposes the Kremlin’s official version, could result in a 15-year prison sentence. The use of the word “war” can also lead to litigation. As for the demonstrations banned by the government, they have already led to almost 14,000 arrests since February 24and the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.