Russian political/pandemic update: coronavirus retreats, politicians advance
A hundred days ago, on February 24, Russian troops entered Ukraine, and this day became a historical milestone that marked the beginning of a rapid rupture of economic, political, and cultural ties between Russia and the West. Since then, the EU has announced six packages of sanctions against Russia. Other “unfriendly” countries, such as the US, kept announcing their sanctions permanently and will keep doing so going forward. It now looks as though bureaucrats on both sides (in Russia and in the West) can be proud of themselves as they enjoy being permanently in the spotlight while each side defends its values, which are incompatible with the values of the other side. Therefore, the end of the conflict is nowhere near, especially because bizarre and clumsy words and actions of politicians of all stripes are filling an increasing part of the information space and affecting public opinion one way or another. Not only has the split between Russian and Western politicians widened, but the split between ordinary people has increased as well. It looks as though politicians on both sides are quite happy about this split getting wider. It is happening naturally amid the incomplete and biased information available on either side, as politicians limit access to the adversary’s information sources, labeling them propaganda or "fake news" providers. The rupture of relations between Russia and the West will persist for generations. Note that the Cold War started to end amid intensified information flows between the East and the West. So far, we see the opposite trend.
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