Ironic Consequences of Continuing Ukraine War
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2024 12:10 pm
Russia's Soaring Wartime Salaries Are Bolstering Working-Class Support for Putin
Ironically, even many Russian citizens who may have been fundamentally opposed to the Ukraine "special military operation" and the unjust subjugation of innocent Ukrainians, benefit from the situation. I encourage reading the whole article, but it ends with this:Many formerly badly paid Russian blue-collar workers have seen their salaries skyrocket since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, far outpacing inflation.
How much realistic hope can there be for ending the atrocity and injustice for Ukraine, given these facts? Too many people are benefitting from evil wars and weapons production for there to be much assurance of eventually ending or mitigating them!From even this brief analysis, it’s clear that the main financial beneficiaries of the war in Ukraine (excluding security officials and soldiers) are those whose professions were long considered low paid and low status. Now they enjoy high salaries and a surfeit of attention from both employers struggling to fill job vacancies, and the state as a whole.
More money in their pockets makes these people—who are not accustomed to self-reflection and who do not have easy access to independent sources of information—even more susceptible to propaganda. Putin’s public image provides them with a comforting feeling of stability, and a sense that their leaders are making the right decisions. It’s unsurprising that the level of support for the Russian regime among these groups is only growing.
