Thursday Briefing: Your Russia questions answered
Good morning. Today, Anton Troianovski, our Moscow bureau chief, answers your questions about Russia and the war in Ukraine. Plus, the other great Kurosawa.
Ask a Correspondent: Moscow Bureau Chief editionIt's our first edition of Ask a Correspondent, and we'll be answering some of the questions you sent for Anton Troianovski, our Moscow bureau chief. Thank you for all the thoughtful messages. You sent in so many great questions, it was hard to choose! You'll have more chances to grill Times journalists soon. Anton was born in Moscow, but left what was then the Soviet Union when he was four and grew up mostly in the U.S. He has become a trusted guide to Russia's war in Ukraine, but he's also a lot of fun (read his account of snacking on frozen reindeer blood and this story on taking a crude oil bath at a spa in Azerbaijan.) I was lucky enough to briefly share an office with him: In 2022, when I was Berlin bureau chief, the Times moved Anton and much of his team to Germany when the war began. Today he leads a group of journalists reporting from inside and outside of Russia. Now, we'll turn it over to Anton. What's the biggest challenge that you face when trying to write a story and not being based in Moscow? It must be a challenge not meeting people face to face. — Daniel Heaslip, Ireland Yes, it's an enormous challenge. We do our best to maintain all the connections we can to life inside Russia. Our team interviews people by encrypted call and text every day, we pore over social media and other open sources, and we don't hesitate to get on a plane for in-person meetings with people traveling outside Russia. But we recognize that all this just isn't the same as living and working in the country. The biggest challenge I see is that we miss the stories we're not looking for: the ones inspired by casual conversations, or overheard subway chatter. That's why The New York Times is still committed to reporting on the ground in Russia when possible. I hope you've read the stories that Valerie Hopkins, Anatoly Kurmanaev, Ivan Nechepurenko and Nanna Heitmann have filed from inside the country. How is the war in Ukraine affecting the average Russian? How is the loss of thousands of soldiers perceived by average Russians? — Tony McNevin, United States Here's one survey result I find revealing: Since the invasion began, around half of Russians have consistently told the independent pollster Levada they are paying little or no attention to the war in Ukraine. This speaks to the Kremlin's enormous efforts to shield the average Russian from the reality of war. Huge payments to dead soldiers' families — and the fact that the war has been largely fought by volunteers — have helped prevent popular unrest. The bite of Western sanctions has been blunted, thanks in part to trade with China. Some Russians have been profiting from the war, like workers in defense-related factories or businesspeople in sectors previously dominated by Western companies. And those who are horrified by it have mostly been scared into silence by Russia's fiercest wave of state repression in decades.
What kind of person is likely to succeed Putin? Does the current opposition (located abroad) have any chances? — Ronald Briede, the Netherlands Putin could still stay in power for years to come. He exercises daily and is focused on taking care of his health, people who know him say. The constitution allows him to be president until 2036, at which point he'll be 83. One former senior Russian official recently told me he wouldn't be surprised if Putin tried to extend his rule beyond that. He has no obvious successor. He's taken care to prevent any politician from building their own locus of power. Some speculate that a post-Putin Russia could be ruled by a group like theSoviet Politburo. The opposition has struggled to get traction, especially since the death of Aleksei Navalny last year. But if Putin's departure were to set off a power struggle, exiled figures could well be part of it; after all, Lenin went from exile to Russian leader in a matter of months. What do you think is the biggest misconception that the West has about Russia and its people? — Nikhil Thokal, India When I was based in Russia, I felt one of my most important tasks was to document the depth and diversity of Russia's regions and challenge the idea that Moscow, St. Petersburg and Putin encompass Russian politics and culture. I was fascinated by the civic life and political activism in remote Arctic cities like Murmansk and Norilsk. I was compelled by the independent-minded scientists, journalists and tech entrepreneurs in Yakutsk in Siberia. Some of this texture has been wiped away by the repression and militarism of the last three years, but much of it is still there.
News from Russia and Ukraine:
Ozzy Osbourne fans turned out in Birmingham, England, to pay their respects to the heavy metal legend in the place he was born. They left flowers, beer and tequila. Drake, who was there on tour, stopped by to pour out some tequila on the ground in honor of the musician.
Meet the other great KurosawaYou could say that the great Japanese genre director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is to psychological fright what David Cronenberg is to body horror. Kurosawa has made films about spies, aliens who take over human bodies, apparitions and all manner of unsettling encounters. What's most terrifying about his twisted stories is when the protagonists realize they are not who they thought they were. My colleague Carlos Aguilar explains why you should watch Kurosawa's films. Read our review of "Cloud," Kurosawa's latest.
Cook: Readers gave this recipe for sautéed chicken breasts five stars. Read: Check out these four new romance novels. Travel: Beat the heat in Europe with a trip to one of these six beaches.
That's it for today. See you next time. — Katrin We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.
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