Correspondent Geert Groot Koerkamp:
“It is not the first time that criticism of the course of Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine has been heard on television. Not infrequently, that other sound comes from specialists, who themselves see very well what is happening and also what goes wrong. for Russia, their professionalism then trumps fear or regulations about what can and cannot be said.
It is an indication that there is concern on the Russian side behind the scenes. That does not necessarily mean that the mood in the country is changing. Most Russians get their information from television, and the coverage there allows virtually no alternative opinions. Occasional expressions of criticism are a drop in the ocean.
It is hardly possible to measure what people know or do not know about the course of the ‘operation’ in Ukraine and its consequences for Russia, and what they think about it. Opinion polls undoubtedly give a distorted picture, the vast majority of Russians do not want to cooperate with such surveys. Those who do are often cautious about giving ‘critical’ answers.”
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