ইThe Russian army is looking for new soldiers for the war in Ukraine. Their recruitment posters are everywhere in Russia. Photo: Reuters
The first thing I noticed as I drove through the city of Tver was the army. They were everywhere—on billboards, next to buildings, at bus stops; even in various portraits with the words “Hero of Russia.”
The posters of soldiers with Kalashnikov rifles encouraged the public to love Russia, be proud of their country, and defend it. In other words, to enlist in the army and go and fight in Ukraine.
From the beginning, the Kremlin has been calling the war in Ukraine a special military operation rather than a war. For many Russians, the war is an event they have only seen on television. But for people like Anna, it is much more real.
On February 24, 2022, Russia began an all-out war in neighboring Ukraine. Today marks the third anniversary of the war. But even after all this time, Russia is trying to recruit new soldiers.
If you live in Tovar, you will understand that despite the military scene unfolding around the city, people live normally. The city is hundreds of miles from the frontline.
“You just look around. Cars are passing by. Shops are open. No shells are coming. We have no panic. We don’t hear any sirens about a possible attack. We don’t have to run to shelters,” a local teacher named Mikhail told the BBC.
From the beginning, the Kremlin has called the war in Ukraine a “special military operation” rather than a “war.” For many Russians, the war is something they have only seen on television. But for some, like Anna, it is much more real.
You just look around. Cars are passing by. Shops are open. No shells are coming. We have no panic. We don’t hear any sirens about a possible attack. We don’t have to run to shelters.
Mikhail, Russian national
“I know many people who went to war. Some of them never came back home. I want it to end as soon as possible,” Anna said while talking to the BBC on the street.
US President Donald Trump has also claimed to want the same. Instead of inviting Ukraine to the negotiating table, the Trump administration has already started direct talks with Russian leaders.
Regarding the Russians’ opinion on US President Trump and his talks with Moscow, Anna said, “Trump is an unexpected winner (in this war). I don’t know what to expect from him.”
Incidentally, President Trump wants to return the billions of dollars in aid given to Ukraine by former President Biden’s administration during the three-year war with Russia. He made this clear at the annual gathering of his party’s Republican Party members outside Washington, DC on Saturday.
Since taking office as the US president for the second term, Trump has been very active in stopping the war in Ukraine. His administration officials have met with Russia on this issue. He has also spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone. However, Ukraine was not included in the talks to end the war. Trump has also made several offensive remarks about the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russian troops advance with tanks in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine File photo: Reuters
In the meantime, Trump has spoken about the return of aid money given to Ukraine by former President Joe Biden’s administration. “I’m working with President Zelensky. I’m working with President Putin. I’m trying to get the money back,” he said at yesterday’s rally.
“We want the complete surrender of Ukraine”
Some of the people the BBC spoke to in Tovar repeated the official narrative they have been hearing on state television for three years. And that is that their country is not an aggressor. Russia is protecting its citizens and Russian-speakers in Ukraine. Russia is not occupying the territory; it is liberating it.
But that does not mean that Russian society as a whole has accepted this narrative. Andrei Kolesnikov, a columnist for NewsTimes.ru and Novaya Gazeta, believes that “in a society, people always prefer to be with the mainstream. If the mainstream is for war and on television it says that we are at war with the West, then the average citizen will accept that. If you want to live in peace, why not join the majority?”
Larissa and her husband Valery voluntarily supported the government’s decision. “We are all for special military operations. We are ready to volunteer and go there!” says Larissa, although they have clearly not done any of this yet.
“We hope (Russia) will win. We want Ukraine to surrender completely,” Larissa added.
The BBC correspondent said that at that moment the police arrived. They had received a phone call. Someone told them that suspicious people were walking around Tovar with cameras. We were told that they were suspicious people.
The BBC correspondent added, “The police politely asked us why we were here. They took a statement from our driver. They searched our car. They asked us to explain why we were here. I told them we were monitoring the situation outside Moscow. We showed them our documents, which were in order.”
The correspondent said, “While we were talking to the police officers, a camera crew from Russian state television came and started filming us. The television reporter said, ‘We were passing this way, we saw the police and we recognized you. What do you think is going on here?’ I replied, ‘I don’t know. Maybe you can tell us what is going on here?’ I added, ‘What are you filming? We are talking to people on the street. I believe we are allowed to do this.’ In response, the reporter said, ‘Yes, we have freedom of speech in our country. Maybe the police just want to help you. It is sad to hear the fake news that Western television spreads about there being no freedom of speech in Russia. You are talking freely to people. No one is stopping you.’ I pointed at him and said, ‘Except for you and the police officers standing next to our car.’
The incident lasted about an hour. No wonder. Three years of war have left Russia with a deep suspicion of Westerners. The initial signs of thawing relations between the United States and Russia have not yet changed that.
It is clear from talking to people in Tovry that the Russians are hoping that the end of the war will bring economic relief.
‘The prices of the most essential things, like potatoes and onions, are now very high. I really feel it,’ said Yulia, rocking her baby to sleep.
But teacher Mikhail does not think Donald Trump has any strategy for ensuring peace. He believes, ‘Unfortunately, Trump has no plan. He does not know what to do. I sympathize with him. I am happy that he won. But at this stage of the story, we are all in the dark.
