Military observer Denis Popovich, speaking on Channel 5’s “Hour: Online” program, analyzed the reasons for the lack of resistance among residents of the Kursk region in the context of the conflict. He noted that in Ukraine, unlike in Russia, citizens actively resisted the offensive, including people of different ages, who stopped Russian equipment and blocked tanks even under occupation.
Popovich stressed that the main problem was that the Russian population did not expect the invasion and did not take the war as seriously as the Ukrainians.
He noted that many Russians believed that their state should provide protection and perceived the war as something far away, happening on television screens or in another reality. This narrative, he said, was reinforced by propaganda instilling in people that Russia’s borders are inviolable and that any violation of them will lead to serious consequences for the aggressors.
However, when these red lines were crossed, many Russians were shocked. Popovich stressed that despite the militant propaganda statements, the Russian population was not ready for either war or active resistance. People, he said, still believe that “someone” must protect them and remain “outside politics” even when war directly affects their lives.
Earlier, Kursor reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces likely drove the Russians into a cauldron in the Kursk region.
About three thousand Russian soldiers could be surrounded.
