i’ll have you know that social contract that formed in russia after 90s looks just like that: citizens fuck off from politics in return for some prosperity. every time when russian state expected that that won’t last due to things like 2008 crisis or covid or what have you, they started a war as a distraction and to rally around the flag some nationalists. now they’re on 4th attempt, this one was due to post-covid recession. difference is, this time they were high on their own supply of propaganda and planned accordingly. they also can’t back down because they see it as a weakness, and that would mean a coup