REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Observers have debated the extent to which Russia’s population supports the invasion of Ukraine.
Given the absence of free media or independent polling, and laws restricting protest, it is hard to measure popular sentiment.
Some Ukrainian officials have repeatedly argued that all of Russian society is responsible, not just its leaders.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukraine’s president, last week called it a “critical mistake” to absolve Russia of responsibility.
He said that events in Kursk “provide an opportunity for a real-life test” of whether Russians actually opposed the war.
He said sarcastically that “liberated Russians could greet anti-Putin tanks with flowers, signaling ‘finally, freedom!'”
Podolyak continued: “We await such scenes, although their likelihood is already deemed impossible.”