At the beginning of the major war, there were assumptions that Russians would supposedly rebel due to losses among their citizens. Budanov explained why this did not happen.
Despite the losses of Russians in the war, the citizens of the Russian Federation did not react to this with internal resistance against the actions of the Kremlin because it is a “country of slaves,” and currently, for many, this is the only way to earn a living. This was stated by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kirill Budanov in a telethon broadcast.
The journalist asked why there was no internal surge and protests in Russia, while at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, “all the military” said that it would supposedly happen as soon as zinc coffins with killed occupiers began to return to the Russian Federation.
In response, Budanov emphasized that “everyone” did not predict this – only “a certain number of experts.”
“Why didn’t this happen? There are two reasons. The first one is moral. Russia is indeed a country of slaves. And the second is that everyone is earning from this now. There is no other work except for joining the Armed Forces [of Russia] for most Russians. This is actually the reality,” said the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate.
Commenting on the mobilization of occupiers in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Budanov said that currently, this is not a very widespread phenomenon because Russians do not have problems with manpower – particularly through covert mobilization in the Russian Federation, “recruitment,” and sending prisoners to the front lines.