News from the NOS•
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Iris de Graaf
Correspondent Russia
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Iris de Graaf
Correspondent Russia
For Russia today is “National Unity Day”. It commemorates how the inhabitants united in 1612 to keep Russia afloat against the Polish-Lithuanian occupier.
This year, for President Putin, the day is more important than ever to fuel patriotism and keep the people united behind the so-called “military operation” in Ukraine. And although there is much discontent and resistance in Moscow and St. Petersburg, patriotism appears to have increased in the Russian province.
It’s about a two-hour drive from Moscow to Kolomna, a typical Russian provincial town. It is isolated from the capital and life is not easy here.
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NOS – Iris de Graaf
The market woman in Kolomna with fruit and vegetables -
NOS – Iris de Graaf
Kolomna, about 2 hours drive from Moscow
The market vendor behind her stall in Revolution Square complains about the economy. “People here used to buy a lot, but now you say: ‘no I don’t need anything'”. She points to the grapes and nuts she sells. “Look, grapes only cost 100 rubles! It costs as much as a bottle of water. Not a big deal, is it? And yet nobody buys it.”
The Z symbol everywhere
Kolomna has one of the highest mobilization rates, many men have gone to the front. But this did not lead to protest. On the contrary, it mainly feeds patriotism. The Z symbol has been glued or painted all over the city, a sign of support for Putin’s “military operation” as it has not yet been called here. The Zs are on cars and on every tram and trolleybus.
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NOS – Iris de Graaf
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NOS – Iris de Graaf
The city is located in the province, about 100 kilometers from Moscow
If you ask bystanders how the recent mobilization in Kolomna is viewed, you will hear: “We are all true patriots here. We are all fighting for our country, for Mother Russia, this is our duty.” There are concerns: “It’s war, it’s serious”. But there is faith in the president. “Things are going well, thanks to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin”.
An elderly woman in a thick duvet who buys grapes says: “Here in Kolomna we support each other. We collect and send the money to our men at the front. As it should be.”
A young woman in pink with a six-year-old son says more and more people are praying for a happy ending. “In the meantime, we collect things for those who fight. Everyone helps her way.”
The Kremlin’s rhetoric on state TV
While much discontent and resistance is felt in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the people of the province almost exclusively watch state television. And you can hear the Kremlin rhetoric on the streets. Lately, for these Russians, the war has become a collective struggle against the West, a “holy war”which is now about Russia’s survival.
As a result, people feel more and more united behind their president and the motherland. It is a trend that can be seen in more places outside the big cities, deep in the vast Russia.
My main job as a mom is to keep the peace in the house. I try to keep the war as far away from my family as possible.
Yet there are also people in Kolomna who doubt the one-sided image of the Russian media. “I don’t have all the information. Maybe this war is really necessary, maybe it’s not. I don’t know. But I’m against people killing each other,” says a middle-aged man who buys a bag of nuts at the stall.
His mother, who is listening, would like to add something: “It’s only when you know all sides of the story that you can form a good picture. But it’s so painful. Every time I hear so many people die there in Ukraine and so many people from the our part, tears come to my eyes “. “Nobody needs this,” says her son.
Focus on everyday life
Yet most people in Kolomna prefer to close their eyes. They focus on everyday life. The young woman in pink straightens her son’s backpack. “My main job as a mom is to keep the peace at home. I try to keep the war as far away from my family as possible.”
He’s about to take his son to singing lessons. “Ilja, sing a piece for Dutch television.” The boy stands shyly in front of the camera and sings in a thin voice: “The birds are chirping and the leaves are falling from the trees.” Then he happily walks away.
NOS – Iris de Graaf
