The Kremlin on Tuesday offered perhaps its most delusional take yet on the state of Russia more than six months into its war against Ukraine, claiming the country is more united than ever, even as nearly half a million people have fled.
“Different points of view always live and collide in society. To say that there has been some kind of special polarization [is not true]. On the contrary, I would say that 2022 is the year of unity in our society,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with RBK.
He went on to say “tectonic shifts” and “unprecedented events” are taking place that have led to “the absolute consolidation of our society around President [Vladimir] Putin.”
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“It’s impossible to dispute that, that’s for sure,” Peskov claimed, adding that those who oppose the war against Ukraine are in the “minority” and “discussions are being carried out with them.”
His comments seemed to be all the more jarring in light of a new report by Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service that warned of a massive “outflow” of Russians since the beginning of the year.
In the first half of 2022, a total of 419,000 Russians left the country—more than double the exodus seen a year earlier in the same period, according to Rosstat data.
Meanwhile, a “confidential” report prepared for the Russian government to assess the projected damage of sanctions “paints a far more dire picture” than Moscow has publicly acknowledged, according to Bloomberg News, which obtained a copy of the document.
The Russian officials and experts who authored the report say the fallout from sanctions will only intensify, and the country may be stuck in a recession until at least 2030.
The Kremlin, however, still seems to be convinced the country is well on its way to “victory” on all fronts—so much so that Peskov said Putin intends to visit stolen Ukrainian territory.
In comments to Izvestia published Tuesday, Putin’s spokesman said he has “no doubt” the Russian leader will pay a visit to the Donbas, the eastern Ukrainian region that Moscow said was its “priority” after a full takeover of the country failed miserably in the spring.
“When the time comes, such a trip will take place,” Peskov said.
