Kenneth Glad
Behind the public displays of unity in Moscow, unease and caution appear to shape elite behavior. The account points to a wartime system where silence is driven less by conviction than by fear.
Aleksandra Prokopenko, a former adviser at Russia’s Central Bank, argues that many influential Russians adjusted to the invasion rather than openly supporting it.
Prokopenko, who left Russia in March 2022, now researches Russian public policy in Germany. Speaking to AFP, in an interview carried by The Straits Times, she said the silence of Russia’s elite matters because many of them helped run the country’s economy, state institutions and international business ties.
She said that senior figures may dislike the war’s consequences but view public dissent as dangerous and unlikely to change anything.
Afraid to speak
Fear has also changed daily behavior in elite circles, according to Prokopenko’s account.
She says that officials and executives are worrying about phones, smartwatches and possible monitoring before sensitive meetings:
“The level of paranoia that people are forced to live with is so great that they are afraid to think – and even more so to express themselves.”
In her book, From Sovereigns to Servants: How the War Against Ukraine Reshaped Russia’s Elite, Prokopenko writes that many senior figures did not believe Putin would launch a full-scale invasion, even after Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine, writes Digi24.
No real rupture
Some tried to persuade Putin to end the war, according to Prokopenko. Others stayed because their posts were secure, leaving was risky, or they believed the state still needed their skills.
The 2023 Wagner rebellion led by Yevgeny Prigozhin also exposed unease among parts of the elite, she said. But the episode did not produce a broader break with Putin.
Instead, Prokopenko describes many powerful Russians as trapped by fear for their wealth, freedom and personal safety. She calls them “yesmen and lackeys.”
“Putin has largely mortgaged Russia’s future,” she said. She also warned that resentment toward the West, especially over sanctions, has reduced the chances of democratic and liberal change in Russia.
Sources: Digi24, AFP, Straits Times
