Russia's invasion of Ukraine : Putin introduces "war subsidies" to stem rising discontent

Of: 

Joachim Kerpner 

Published: Today 13.56 

Updated: Today 14.22 

NEWS 

Putin is introducing "war subsidies" this autumn to stop Russians' dissatisfaction with rising prices and increased unemployment, sources told the Russian newspaper Meduza. 

- People return home from vacation and don't like what they see, says a source close to the Russian presidential administration. 

The exiled Russian independent newspaper Meduza has interviewed two sources (Meduza har intervjuat två källo) rclose to the presidential administration in the Kremlin. 

They state that the Russians have started to get "bored" of what is called in Russia the "special operation", that is, the war in Ukraine. In the past, social discontent was dampened by interest in the events of the war. 

- People thought that "even if the prices have gone up, the difficulties will soon be over". But now people are returning home from vacation, and they don't like what they see, says one of Meduza's sources. 

"People will like them" 

Several industrial regions are expected to have problems with increased unemployment, including the Kaluga area, where many Western car manufacturers' now-closed factories are located, and the Leningrad area, where many large Western companies that have left the country were located. 

Russian troops in southern Ukraine. Photo: AP 

The start of school on September 1 will be an economic awakening for many Russians. People will inevitably compare what it cost to prepare the children for the start of school the year before with what it costs now. Then "the extent of the increased prices will become clear to them", says one of Meduza's sources. 

To meet the effects of increased prices and increased unemployment, the presidential administration is now preparing to provide cash assistance to the population. The Kremlin simply expects to be able to "stifle citizens' discontent with money". 

- Even if the sums are quite low, people will like to receive them, says one of the sources to Meduza. 

          Photo: Alexei Nikolsky/AP 

The expected dissatisfaction of the Russian population during the autumn is in line with a recently published report from the American Yale University. It states that a widespread perception of the sanctions against Russia is that they have led to an "economic war of attrition that hurts the West", while the Russian economy is "flourishing". It's a picture that's completely wrong, according to Yale researchers Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian. (enligt Yale-forskarna Jeffrey Sonnenfeld och Steven Tian.)

 - The international sanctions and the voluntary retreat of Western companies have had a devastating effect on Russia's economy, write the report authors and call on the governments of the West to keep up the pressure on Russia. 

The credibility of Meduza's article was strengthened by the fact that Vladimir Putin ordered on Wednesday that all parents of schoolchildren in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine should receive a lump sum of 10,000 rubles, about 1800 kroner. The money will go towards the parents' expenses for the coming school year.