Vladislav Grigoriev12:22, 14.03.25

War supporters may not support Putin if he decides to make peace with Ukraine.

In the three years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many Russians have become deeply ingrained in the ideological narrative of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and nationalists that Moscow is waging an existential war against the “collective West” led by the United States. Russia’s relations with Washington have been softening under the administration of President Donald Trump, causing discontent even among the Kremlin leader’s staunchest supporters,  The Washington Post reports .

The publication’s journalists conducted a survey among the “Z community”, which includes Russian war correspondents, ultra-nationalists and supporters of the war against Kyiv, who want the complete enslavement of Ukraine. Many of them said that they do not want Russia to agree to a peaceful settlement of the conflict unless it leads to the removal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a change of power in Kyiv.

It is noted that Putin has to keep an eye on this active part of Russian society, which has grown stronger during the war against Ukraine. Journalists recalled that in 2023, this grew into an open uprising after a short-lived mutiny by the former head of the Wagner PMC mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The publication emphasized that the Kremlin often used “turbopatriots” to promote propaganda of the need for a bloody war against Ukraine. Some of these people are fighting against Ukrainians at the front.

The downside of the “turbopatriots” is that they have also become a rare source of criticism of both Putin and his government’s decisions. They will likely not agree to a 30-day truce with Ukraine if the Russian leader goes for it.

A senior Kremlin official told reporters that there will certainly be Russians who will be unhappy with the normalization of bilateral dialogue between Russia and the United States.

“There is a significant part of society that says that it is afraid and will not be satisfied with security guarantees if Ukraine simply continues to exist,” he said.

The “Z community” is increasingly unhappy with the fact that Russia is improving relations with the US. Military bloggers and nationalists call the proposed ceasefire “an attempt to steal victory from Russia.”

The publication recalled that nationalist writer Zakhar Prilepin did not support the general delight of Russians over the quarrel between Zelensky and Trump during their meeting in the Oval Office.

“It is important how combat-ready the Ukrainian armed forces are, what is the situation with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine and whose soldiers are roaming around Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkov, Kramatorsk and Kherson, which, according to our constitution, are part of Russia,” he wrote.

Discontent is also growing among the Russian military. A former fighter of the Wagner PMC said in a conversation with journalists that not all soldiers understand who they are actually fighting. According to him, “America does not want a strong Russia.”

“Haiduk,” the commander of the Russian intelligence unit fighting in Chasovy Yar, told reporters that he wants Russia to defeat Ukraine and “destroy Zelensky.” He stressed that Russians will have to accept Putin’s decision if he agrees to a ceasefire with Ukraine, but it will be done “with broken hearts.”

According to “Gaiduk”, the positive aspect of the war is that “Russian society is returning to what it should be.”

“Previously, Vladimir Putin was too European, too Western. Now Putin is returning home, to the bosom of Russian civilization,” he explained.

A former Putin aide told reporters that hardline nationalists in the military and security services “see enemies everywhere” but have little influence in the Kremlin. He believes they will not interfere with Putin’s efforts to restore diplomatic ties with the United States or negotiate a peace deal.

“Nobody in the Kremlin listens to the opinions of these layers of society. They use them when necessary for propaganda, but in reality they have very little real influence,” Putin’s former aide assured.

(c)UNIAN 2025