I’ve been subscribing to a buttload of English-speaking Russian YouTubers lately. They seem pretty unanimous in their dislike of what’s transpiring now that Pooty-Poot is trying to send a big, fresh batch of unwilling conscripts into Ukraine. First there was Niki Proshin (whose videos I’ve already posted here a few times), and now there’s this guy, Roman:
…who notes what I predicted over Niki’s videos a few days ago, namely that Russians — particularly men between the draftable ages of 18 and 50 — are fleeing the country in droves, creating a refugee crisis that’s on the brink of becoming a humanitarian one. Given that Russia is a much larger and more populous country, that means there will probably soon be more refugees from Russia than there are Ukrainian refugees from the four war-torn border regions which Russia has oh-so-“democratically” annexed. So far, however, they are fleeing to different countries than their Ukrainian counterparts, and many are going east or south rather than west — that is, to central Asia or the ex-Soviet Caucasus, rather than the European Union — to seek refuge where they can. Some, like Niki, were lucky enough to be able to get plane tickets to Istanbul, Tblisi, etc. But more now are stuck having to make the journey by car or on foot, and have to cross Russia’s borders wherever they can — but not to Belarus, from where they’re likely to be sent right back to face conscription.
Meanwhile, anti-war sentiment in Russia is growing, as is the already intense skepticism of the Kremlin’s propaganda, and so are the demos, although Russian laws governing demonstrations are stricter than they are in Europe and the Americas. Meaning, no signs. Chanting and marching are typical, and pretty much all the demonstrators can do, although confrontations with police and the army are also ramping up.
All in all, Russia’s looking grim right now, and bound to get a lot grimmer before the situation finally, definitively comes to a head.
Stay tuned.
