​​​​​​​Russia's long persecuted ethnic minorities — Buryats, Chechens and Yakuts — have seized on the war in Ukraine to make a case for the independence of their own regions. They say the conflict has laid bare Russia's violent and imperial mentality, not just in Eastern Europe, but within its own borders.
  • Whiskey Pickle@lemmy.mlEnglish
    10·
    1 year ago

    More than a year of war has changed Ukraine forever — but it is also reshaping Russia, with opinion starkly divided on what should happen to the country after the conflict.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping its borders will be expanded and his own grip on power will be strengthened. Many outside Russia are pushing for a future without Putin, in which Moscow will never again be in a position to invade its neighbors.

    But some Russians themselves are calling for a restructuring of the country and a rethinking of Russian national identity — often at great personal risk.

    Ruh-roh, bad news for Poopin!