Wiretapped conversations show deep discontent among Russians. Is Russia remembering better times before Putin?
According to reports from the Kyiv Post Russians share their concerns about Russia’s current political situation under Putin in an intercepted telephone conversation. One speaker recalls a “golden age” before Putin’s era and criticizes that the social fabric in the country has changed drastically. He paints a bleak picture of the future should the current rulers continue to rule the country.
According to this conversation, quoted by the Kyiv Post, the Russians talk about widespread discussions in their workplaces about possible uprisings against the Kremlin. Another point in their conversation concerns the failed uprising of the Wagner mercenary group in the summer, during which the leader Yevgeny Prigozhin almost reached the capital.
Prigozhin Agreement Continues to Ignite Controversy
In their conversation, the men also refer to a deal that ended the uprising. In this, they say, Putin took a hasty approach, bringing conscripts to the vicinity of Moscow and arming students to counter possible uprisings. The Kyiv Post reports that despite this inflammatory talk, which may provide insight into the general discontent of the Russian population, there have been few public protests against Putin’s government or the war in Ukraine. There were protests last September, but they erupted mainly over new conscription laws and were not directly related to the war in Ukraine.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Vladimir Putin (2022-12-14), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)