JRL NEWSWATCH: “After two years of war, Russia finds itself frozen, but transformed” – Christian Science Monitor

“Between Alexei Navalny’s death and the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia is in a transitional moment. The public may be going along with the war, but the country is shrinking its already limited space for expression.”

“… [A] deep transition in the economy, … political system, social relations, and public mood is clearly underway. The signs of change most watched – and fretted over – include Russia’s ability to ramp up … war production … and the expanding wave of repression of anyone who disparages Russia’s war effort or appears to sympathize with the enemy. The prison death … of … Navalny … underscores a continuing reality that has many precedents … Opponents of the Kremlin often meet terrible extralegal ends … far beyond the limits of mere repression. … One of the biggest surprises … has been Russia’s ability to reconstitute the old Soviet military-industrial complex … to … prosecute a long, materials-intensive war … accomplished … [not] by … old Soviet … central planning and economic command, but through … market-oriented … profitable state orders to private industry … resembl[ing] … ‘military Keynesianism’ … familiar in the United States. The Russian army has attracted thousands of recruits … offering high salaries, and generous benefits to … families of those … killed and wounded. One long-term consequence …, experts suggest, is that it creates new constituencies for war … in business and … society. …”

Click here for: “After two years of war, Russia finds itself frozen, but transformed; Between Alexei Navalny’s death and the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia is in a transitional moment. The public may be going along with the war, but the country is shrinking its already limited space for expression.” – Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir