– Putin’s regime has been relatively popular, but I think the opposition is huge in the Russian population. And I think Putin has settled with this war, says senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Policy (NUPI), Julie Wilhelmsen, to TV 2.
Wilhelmsen has followed the prelude to Russia’s war against Ukraine closely. She thinks it is very interesting to see the protests against the war among Russians – inside and outside Russia.
– DISSATISFACTION: Senior researcher at NUPI, Julie Wilhelmsen, talks about great dissatisfaction among Russians. Photo: Ingvild Gjerdsjø / TV 2
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– The dissatisfaction is great because this war against what the Russians refer to as their brother people, is neither “well sold” to the Russian population, and it is catastrophic for most Russians, Wilhelmsen says.
– Can be the beginning of the end
Commitment to the war is growing on social media day by day. At the same time, thousands of protesters have been arrested in anti-war demonstrations in Russia in the past week.
The protesters who take to the streets risk both violence by the police and imprisonment.
If the number of protesters increases in the time ahead, Wilhelmsen believes the police will face difficult choices.
– If there were to be large demonstrations against this war, would Russian police really be willing to crack down on their own? There are very many unresolved questions, says Wilhelmsen and adds:
– It may be the beginning of the end, but what happens next, and how fast it develops, no one knows.
Here the protesters are apprehended
War against the fraternal people
Johanne Kalsaas is a doctoral fellow in Russian media and communication at the University of Bergen. She has been closely following the uprising that is growing against the war among Russians on social media.
– RESEARCHER IN RUSSIA: Johanne Kalsaas is a research fellow at the University of Bergen and a researcher on Russian society and developments in connection with the war in Ukraine. Photo: Kåre Breivik / TV2
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– There has been a violent mobilization, especially on social media and on the internet. There is opposition and appeal to what is happening. There is a lot of anger, but also a lot of sadness. People are in despair, says Kalsaas to TV 2.
– People use hashtags that express opposition to the war. “No to the war” and “I am against the war” have been at the top of the trend list, especially on Twitter.
Kalsaas says many Russians have relatives in Ukraine, and that there is a strong perception that the Ukrainians are the brother people of Russia.
– We have seen many on social media who express that Putin is a war criminal, and that he must be prosecuted for this. It is a real opinion that can, of course, threaten the legitimacy that the Russian regime has had within its own country.
– Many say that these are our own brothers. So there is a lot of grief, says Kalsaas.
– What I think we can say for sure is that in a historical context, there will be a before, and an after, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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