Anti-Western and Pro-War Attitudes ‘Much More Pronounced’ in Moscow than Beyond the Ring Road, Gudkov Says

Paul Goble Staunton, July 1 – Like most people, Lev Gudkov says that until recently he had been accustomed to thinking about Moscow as being at the center of Russian protests; but now the situation had changed and its residents are far more aggressive and anti-Russian than are those in the federal subjects beyond the ring road. The Levada Center sociologist says that this reflects both the departure of many opponents of the war from the capital and the fact that Moscow residents are doing relatively well while most people in the regions and republics are suffering. As always, those who are poor “don’t really want to fight” (theins.ru/podkasty/294289). Residents of the regions, Gudkov continues, “believe that the war isn’t needed and that too much money is being spent on it. They think it would be better for that money to be spent on them … as a result of these differences, “anti-war sentiment is more common in the provinces for these reasons.” Muscovites in contrast are “very loyal to the authorities and very aggressive towards the West … despite the fact that they live in a more informed and more educated environment,” he says. Those who used to speak out against Kremlin policies have left and thus do not have the impact they once did. Another reason for this divide, Gudkov argues, is that Muscovites have been less affected by the war than have people in the regions and republics. As a result of Kremlin policies, Moscow has provided fewer soldiers and continues to act as if the war is something that doesn’t matter to them personally. Those in the provinces know otherwise.