The head of VTsIOM spoke about the “four Russias” after the start of the Northern Military District

The head of VTsIOM Valery Fedorov cited the opinion of sociologists about how the Special Military Operation affected Russian society. The interview is published by RBC.

According to Fedorov, society was conditionally divided into four parts. According to the definition of the executive director of Minchenko Consulting, Evgenia Stulova, they can be characterized as: “Deep Russia”, “Warring Russia”, “Capital Russia”, and “Left Russia”. Sociologists express the opinion that some Russians perceived the SVO as an opportunity to mobilize, other groups experienced shock or the need to leave the country, some went into internal emigration, and another part of the citizens saw an opportunity to earn money, albeit in life-threatening conditions.

At the same time, Fedorov notes, these processes took place against the background of an increased level of anxiety, which has been recorded in society over the past five years: the SVO was announced after people got used to the pension reform, and then survived the coronavirus pandemic. Russians are spending more effort to maintain control over their lives, while at the same time they feel an increase in possible threats and risks, which is reinforced by unexpected news like the “Prigozhin rebellion”, “drone raid on the Kremlin” or mobilization.

In such conditions, “metropolitan Russia”—which sociologists include about 20 million people—prefers to withdraw into itself. This is a kind of adaptation method that separates their life from the events in the special operation zone. The people included in this group,” according to Fedorov, are “beneficiaries of the former well-fed life,” “the capital’s middle class—Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg.” At the same time, passionate and active “fighting Russia” – this group includes military personnel, members of their families, as well as volunteers – does everything “for the front, everything for victory.”