Kathrine Frich
They pleaded with Russians to simply accept the difficult times
When a faraway conflict drags on, the consequences eventually hit close to home.
Ordinary citizens often end up footing the bill at the petrol pump or the grocery store.
Now, a prominent voice is telling her frustrated public to just sit tight.
Feeling the pinch
Russian drivers are facing massive queues and skyrocketing fuel costs.
A recent wave of long-range drone strikes has crippled major oil refineries and energy complexes across the country, according to the Daily Express.
The attacks have targeted facilities in regions like Saratov and Tatarstan, while the largest refinery in Siberia has reportedly halted production entirely.
The domestic fuel shortage has grown so severe that a leading Kremlin media figure has openly addressed the crisis.
Echoes of history
Margarita Simonyan, the head of the state-backed RT network, spoke frankly to viewers on Russian state television.
“There is no petrol,” she told the television audience.
She then compared today’s struggle to the severe shortages seen after the fall of the Soviet Union.
“Well, I still remember, my generation remembers, how food was actually rationed…..in 1992…We endured it. And we will endure it now,” she said.
Warning the public
The media boss then cautioned citizens against repeating the bloody revolution of 1917, which brought down Tsar Nicholas II.
She claimed foreign enemies are deliberately attacking infrastructure to provoke an uprising, adding, “I have no doubts at all that [the enemy] do all of this so that we, like in 1917, run off to overthrow the dear Tsar, and then make such a mess of things ….”
She pleaded with Russians to simply accept the difficult times and cancel their social events.
“I do not think this is that kind of time for us now. So I urge everyone: be calmer, stay calm. Yes, it is hard, yes, very hard. Be calmer about holding parties, too. This is not the time,” she added.
The nuclear question
While state media attempts to manage domestic anger, the Kremlin is delivering stern messages abroad.
Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, recently outlined the strict conditions for deploying the country’s ultimate weapons.
“If there is something threatening the very existence of the Russian state, nuclear arms will be used,” he told Swiss TV.
He quickly clarified that conventional military operations will continue normally for now, adding, “Otherwise, no. It is very important to understand this.”
Sources: Daily Express, Russian state TV, Swiss TV
