In the nearly two years since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a common criticism of Russians by outside observers has been that they largely continue to live their lives as if nothing serious is happening.

In this episode, we take a closer look at how Russians are living amid the war. We speak with residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg who share how their lives have been changed by the war. We later hear from leading sociologist Denis Volkov about how the behavior of Russian society is unique against the backdrop of the war and what trends have emerged in different regions of the country.

The Moscow Times recently published a report on the Muscovites who party hard as a form of escapism from the war. For this episode, we asked the report’s author if she was shocked by such behavior when she returned to the Russian capital after several months abroad. You can read the article on our website using this link:

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/10/21/15-years-into-war-clubs-festivals-and-nightlife-offer-an-escape-for-russians-a82665

Find us at:

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MoscowTimes/

https://twitter.com/moscowtimes

https://t.me/moscowtimes_en

https://www.instagram.com/themoscowtimes/