As the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on for almost a year and a half, in Moscow, life goes on. The contrast between the images from the front and the apparent calm of the Russian capital is striking.
The daily life of millions of Muscovites resembles the life of ordinary city dwellers. For a section of the population, it is as if there was no war.
“I don’t care”
Alexander, 51, spends ten hours a day in the car. His profession – delivery man – is synonymous with freedom for him.
Every day he travels 200-250 kilometers on the streets of Moscow and its suburbs. Alexander remains passive when he sees vehicles stamped “Z”, the symbol of a letter of support for the Russian military.
>> Read again: Where does the white “Z” painted on Russian tanks in Ukraine come from?
The Muscovites knew there was a war. He even calls her by her name, but he feels she doesn’t care about him. “It’s not trivial, but overall, nothing has changed in my life,” he says on RTS’s 7:30 p.m.
He likes to discuss with his friends, “things that interest us,” he says. “Politics or war topics are not taboo, but that’s not what interests me,” he continues.
Resignation
Daria gives fashion advice to her 5,000 social media followers every day. In the world of influencers and stylists, there is “no room for politics”.
Daria has created a world for herself, that of a thirty-year-old whose country is not at war. She works and she goes out with her friends, who are her only source of information.
War is a subject she avoids and a word she never speaks. “I know some of my friends keep talking about it with other people. But between us, we agree to talk about things that interest all of us,” she says.
“There are things I can’t change, environments I can’t access,” he continues. “I can only affect the things around me.”
Alexander shared this sense of resignation. Both knew there was fighting in Ukraine, but neither wanted to get involved. For Vladimir Putin, who has been accused of fostering political apathy since coming to power 20 years ago, that seems mission accomplished.
TV title: Karima Benamrouch
Web adaptation: Edel
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