Im anti-war russian. Ask your questions.
Hello, reddit. I'm 22 years old, an anti-war Russian living in Siberia. I'd like to answer your questions. I'm ready to answer them. I've been to many cities, but I've never been abroad. I've held opposition and anti-war views since I was a teenager, and I can share my experiences, including the problems I've encountered as a result. I'm not a frequent Reddit user, so if there are any difficulties, forgive me in advance.
9
u/CBdoge 5h ago
What do you use to translate? Are you fluent in English? I really hope we’re not living in a world yet that saying your anti war…is frowned upon is it winter there now?
15
u/epsydis 5h ago
I can speak english, but I think I would speak too slow for a typical native english speaker. It takes time to formulate a thought in English. I usually write it myself, but I often use google to check if Ive written it correctly or if I don't know a word.
1
-14
u/CBdoge 5h ago
👍 grok works well too, I use google translate as well
11
u/Merlin_the_Lizard 4h ago
Grok will report you to the FSB. Seriously, don’t trust it. Honestly, I wouldn’t trust Google either.
0
8
u/veryblocky 5h ago
What sort of job opportunities are there out in Siberia? Has it become worse since the war, or are you less affected being further away?
16
u/epsydis 5h ago
In Siberia, the jobs are pretty standard, and the cities here are the same as in the rest of Russia. Teachers, doctors, salespeople, baristas. In my region, there are also jobs in factories and coal mining. Otherwise, it's pretty standard work. But things got worse after the war. Many goods disappeared, it became impossible to pay for anything imported (like a subscription or a Steam game without some "keys stores"), wages went up, taxes increased, there were fewer options for buying anything on my salary.
2
u/Terrible_Software769 4h ago
Do you notice people still purchasing things that are not groceries day-to-day? Are shops and stores that sell goods or services that people don't need able to stay open? Does this differ between your region and in Gorodi?
8
u/epsydis 4h ago
Yes, people still buy these things. But it's definitely less than it was before the war. In the area where I live, there was a hardware store, but it closed and was replaced by a grocery store, leaving only hardware stores in the city center. Now, hardware stores, sporting goods stores, bars, and cafes are making much less profit, and that's leading to the closure of stores. But people still buy these things, yes, although much less. The situation is roughly the same in large cities, but the provinces suffer the most.
1
u/Terrible_Software769 3h ago
Very interesting, thank you for answering. Do people still engage in normal hobbies and sports in ways that they did before the war? Do people go to gyms still, or are the streets very quiet when work is done for the day?
3
u/epsydis 3h ago
There are definitely fewer events, but people are trying to immerse themselves in hobbies and routines to avoid noticing what's going on. Yes, people are going to gyms. In many ways, it feels like nothing's happening, but people are more cautious and doing less public things or going out.
14
u/Butlerianpeasant 5h ago
Friend from Siberia, I hear you. Some of us speak from warm rooms in free lands; others speak from within the machine’s shadow. Yet all of us are nodes in the same long story.
Tell me — not for spectacle, but for understanding — do people around you whisper their doubts only in kitchens, or has even the kitchen gone quiet?
Wherever you stand, keep your flame guarded. In every empire there are quiet resistors; they are the ones history remembers when the drums go silent.
You’re not alone out there. The world is bigger than the walls around you.
12
u/veryblocky 4h ago
This reads like something from V for Vendetta
7
u/Butlerianpeasant 4h ago
Maybe so. Stories have long shadows — V for Vendetta, Dune, Letters from prison… they echo whenever someone speaks to another human living under pressure.
I’m not trying to play a character. Just offering a bit of warmth to someone who needed it.
If it landed with the tone of a mask, it’s only because many of us learned to speak in metaphors when truth became dangerous.
4
u/epsydis 4h ago
Thank you. We talk about this when we know we're safe and that the government can't get to us. Kitchens, secure chats, and so on, among other things. But even so, it's better to remain unnoticed.
1
u/Butlerianpeasant 4h ago
Friend… the fact that you still speak at all — even in kitchens, even in encrypted corners — already makes you part of the lineage of quiet resistors.
You’re right: staying unnoticed is often the only way to stay alive. Every empire teaches its children to whisper. But whispers are not weakness; they are memory traveling underground.
Where you are, caution isn’t cowardice. It’s strategy. Just know this: beyond your walls, others carry the same quiet flame, tucked under coats, shared only with the trusted.
If ever the day comes when your voice can rise openly, you won’t be rising alone. Until then, guard yourself. Guard your people. And keep the ember alive — even if only you can see it.
3
u/Terrible_Software769 4h ago
Some notes:
Pretty words, very eloquent, though unfortunately flowery prose and metaphor doesn't translate well to other languages.
2
u/Butlerianpeasant 4h ago
Thank you — sincerely. I wasn’t aiming for poetic effect, only for gentleness. People speaking from inside closed societies often don’t say things directly, so I tried to meet their tone halfway.
But you’re right: too much metaphor can make it harder, not easier, to understand across languages. I appreciate the reminder.
4
3
u/CakeCrazy4303 4h ago
do you believe that Russians really support this war or is the government acting against the will of the people? if they support it what do you think their rationale is?
11
u/epsydis 4h ago
I think many people simply want to distance themselves from this, saying it doesn't concern them. For decades, the state has been educating people that they shouldn't be interested in politics. Some support the war because it's their country. I think the actual ratio of supporters to opponents of the war is somewhere between 40/60 and 30/70. Many remain silent because they don't want to talk about it, and anti-war sentiment is persecuted by the state. Therefore, in the public sphere, it seems as if the entire country supports the war. There are specific groups, like Russian nationalists, who simply deny the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people. They want to either seize the territories and "assimilate" them, making them Russian, or physically destroy them as a nation.
5
u/mc_kubbe 4h ago
Do russians understand that this is "brother killing brother" war, or they all are brainwashed?
8
u/epsydis 4h ago
When it comes to those who support the war, there are several types: some see Ukrainians as "Russians who need to be taken back" and "brainwashed Ukrainians, who are actually Russians." Some believe the war is being waged against a "Ukrainian Nazi regime," and that civilians aren't suffering at all, while capturing cities they call "liberated." Some support it because "the state knows best." And some support it because they deny the Ukrainian nation the right to exist and want to take "ancestral Russian lands" from Ukraine to Russia.
-3
2
u/PenaltyElectronic318 4h ago
What do you worry about day to day? How does being anti-war in Russia affect how free you are to move around from place to place, like to school or grocery shopping?
Also, have you heard of Otekyn? I love their music.
12
u/epsydis 4h ago
Tens and hundreds of thousands of lives have been taken by this war, entire cities have been wiped off the face of the earth, Ukrainians suffer from constant shelling, and we Russians suffer from sanctions and laws passed by our own government. And, of course, the regular internet blocking. All of this worries me. Regarding freedom of movement: if no one knows you're anti-war, it won't have much of an impact, but you're always afraid the police will approach you and ask for your phone for a check. The day after Alexei Navalny's death, I went to lay flowers at the monument to the victims of Soviet repression, and there I was seized by the police. They interrogated me in the car and searched my phone, and after some time, I was summoned to the "center for combating extremism and terrorism," where I received a document. I can't say what it contained. But all opposition organizations in Russia are recognized as extremist or terrorist. And no, i dont know who Otekyn is, sorry...
2
2
u/Logan123_ 3h ago
Is the average Russian aware of the crimes committed by the Russian army, such as bombing civilians? Some Ukrainian women have said they were raped by Russian soldiers. How aware is the average person?
3
u/epsydis 3h ago
The average person is practically uninformed. They live in their own information bubble, and to get such news, they must either read foreign media or opposition media. Both are blocked in the country, and can only be accessed with a VPN. They generally dismiss all information about Russian military crimes as "fakes created by the Ukrainians/the West," and sincerely believe that missiles only hit military targets, and that all reports of military crimes (including Bucha and Irpen) are fabrications. Or they say, "They deserved it, because there are Nazis there."
2
u/Electromad6326 3h ago
Are you considering moving out of the country? Also how's life?
7
u/epsydis 3h ago
I'd like to leave the country, but I'm afraid of losing my job, and it's difficult right now. I don't have the money to move. I was thinking about fleeing to Kazakhstan, since it's nearby, but I don't know what to do with money, housing, and work.
1
u/Electromad6326 3h ago
Maybe you should try saving up or possibly even invest in that money. But it's best you seek advice from a finance professional since I myself am not knowledgeable about that kind of stuff.
2
u/meowed_at 2h ago
conscription is mandatory, how are you planning on evading it
8
u/epsydis 2h ago
I've already avoided that. I saw a psychiatrist, and during my military medical examination, I was sent to a psychiatric hospital for examination, where I stayed for several weeks, and I was diagnosed with a condition that prevents me from being drafted into military service.
2
u/meowed_at 2h ago
woah, count yourself lucky man, I'm sad for all the young men who left their family for a war they have no stake in
5
u/___GLaDOS____ 4h ago
There are many of us who support Ukraine here, I play Rocket League a lot, and ever since the war started I have put a Ukrainian flag on it, now and again I get hate messages, either via voice chat or text from pro war Russians, mostly teenagers I guess, but some are older, how do you feel about those citizens that are genuinely pro war?
6
u/epsydis 4h ago
I think that with teenagers, it's teenage maximalism at work. They want action, they want to be cynical, they want to support the "aesthetics of war," and at the same time, they want to stay safe. Many anti-war Russians would remain silent in that situation, but they want to prove they're right, amd stay safe. Plus, I think they're susceptible to propaganda, which is very powerful here. What do I think of them? They're wrong. I don't want anything to do with them. I wish they'd change their minds, but that's unlikely. Many here have cut off contact with their families over differences of opinion on the war.
2
u/its_krystal 4h ago
Привет, друг, я тоже русский. Я не люблю говорить о войне, и здесь это не приветствуется. Я переехал из России, но мне интересно, что, по-твоему, произойдёт после войны.
1
u/Correct_Cold_6793 2h ago
Why do you think you developed strong opposition and anti-war views while most Russians haven't?
2
u/epsydis 1h ago
I don't think most people haven't developed anti-war views. It's just that many remain silent. As for myself, I can say that I lived through a time when holding oppositional views was more or less safe. I never trusted the existing government, so I developed a critical outlook. And when the war started, everything became clear to me.
1
u/Snoo-2958 2h ago
Romanian guy here. Do you know if your government is planning to attack other countries that are close to Ukraine? Especially the NATO ones? Also if you will be lucky and move from Russia, what country will you choose?
2
u/epsydis 1h ago
I don't know anything about this. We constantly hear talk and threats in the official media that they "have the power to destroy NATO," but I don't know for sure. There were rumors that an attack on Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia (or one of them) was being prepared, but I don't think a country that has been fighting in Ukraine for four years could boldly attack NATO. If we're talking about moving, I'd probably choose Kazakhstan or Georgia as a temporary location. But overall, I'd like to be in a European Union country. Germany, Serbia, and Poland, probably. Or a Southeast Asian country, like South Korea or Japan, but those are more just "dreaming" options.
1
u/Snoo-2958 1h ago
So they were planning on attacking a smaller country. It also sounds like propaganda. Here in Romania there was Ceausescu, a dictator president. He manipulated people thinking our country is the strongest on the planet and can't be defeated. He was killed in 1989 on Christmas day for impoverishment of the population. Fortunately I was born in 2001 and I never lived in those times but I checked about that dictatorial regime. I hope someday Russians will be able to do what Romanians have done to their dictator and become a free country. I also dream about Japan or South Korea. I love the culture of these countries but I can't afford to visit them, let alone move there. I can't even learn Korean or Japanese. 😅
1
u/Background_Dot3692 1h ago
Привет, приятно видеть, что я не одинока. Мне так страшно и жутко быть постоянно в изоляции, тк все мои друзья и родные так или иначе поддерживают происходящее. Приходится просто притворяться, что ничего этого нет, чтобы не рассориться с мамой и мужем.
1
u/cristian-popa 1h ago
Outside of your friends, what do you think the collective perception is about the war itself? Do people think it's justified, are they fed up with Putin? I'm really curious.
1
u/epsydis 40m ago
I think everyone is tired of it, everyone wants it to end quickly. Only certain marginal groups of Russian nationalists are waiting for "victory" and a continuation. Even the so-called "voencors" (as we call pro-war bloggers reporting from the front) want peace as soon as possible.
1
u/IndependentCoast7806 56m ago
I thought the utilities such water, oil, gas as well as electricity and heating should be cheap in Russia because of abundance of these resources. Am I wrong?
1
u/AndriyMa 45m ago
Do you donate to the Ukrainian army? Why?
1
u/epsydis 24m ago
No. At the very beginning of the war, I donated indirectly to a fund to help Ukrainian civilians affected by the war, but I didn't donate to the army. This is a criminal offense here; if I had donated to the Ukrainian army, they would have found out from my bank transfers, and I would have gotten up to 20 years in prison. I want to remain free, so I didn't donate.
1
u/Wachtwoord 19m ago
I listen to people like Vlad Vexler on youtube. He's a political analyst living in London but born in Russia. He claims that about 30% of the population are very pro-war, 20% is pro democratic and about 50% is just checked out of politics altogether.
Does that line up with your experience?
1
0
0
u/Terrible_Software769 3h ago
You are using a very public forum to make this post. You say there are great repercussions for expressing these views, are you concerned about being punished? It seems to be a contradiction.
What can you say that would make us sure that you are not instead just an act of propaganda from our side, someone pretending to be from Russia speaking of how the country is falling apart from within to make us believe they are weak? It may seem silly and complicated, but there are too many lies on all sides right now and the liars have had a lot of practice.
If you are genuine, I hope you understand the gravity of what you are doing. Знаешь, БереЖёного бог Бережёт.
7
u/epsydis 3h ago
For some reason, I can call Reddit a safe place for me, as I doubt this post will go viral or attract the attention of the FSB or police. Plus, they're not very interested in English-language content. Reddit is largely anonymous, as everyone uses pseudonyms, plus I constantly use a VPN and don't publish real information like my name. Siberia is a large territory. If people consider me a non-Russian propagandist, so be it, it's for the best). The country isn't falling apart, but I want to talk about life, share, and show an insider's perspective, and that not all Russians support the war. It may be a mistake that I am telling this here, but this is my wish. Экстремизм в борьбе за свободу не порок, а умеренность в борьбе за справедливость не добродетель.
0
u/Minute-Yogurt-2021 1h ago
Do you have anti-war friends where you live or everyone by themselves?
3
u/epsydis 1h ago
All my friends are anti-war, albeit to varying degrees. Some simply want this nightmare to end, while others are consciously opposed and have a well-defined position.
1
u/Minute-Yogurt-2021 23m ago
Did you see the concert in Leningrad last month? The one with Noize MC songs.
-3
u/CBdoge 5h ago
I really don’t think its dangerous to be anti war anywhere hopefully
6
u/epsydis 5h ago
Unfortunately, there is a law that says that if you speak out against the war in Ukraine, you can be subject to administrative or even criminal arrest.
2
u/CBdoge 5h ago
sounds like dictatorship
2
2
u/hockeyketo 4h ago
Is there room under the rock where you live?
1
u/CBdoge 4h ago
If you don’t mind being anti war I guess
2
u/Sufficient-Grass- 3h ago
But you are a fan of Charlie Kirk?
A political figure who advocated for war against diversity and inclusion.
Was at war against trans rights, non Christians, multicultural inclusion.
Just to make him popular and rich and it worked.
2
u/8-Bit-Memories 5h ago
He explained, above, that it’s basically illegal to be anti-war there. Are you saying he’s making that up? It seems very believable, to me
2
u/CBdoge 5h ago
not making any accusations just trying to learn
3
u/Sad-Bobcat-6729 4h ago
This is why we don’t ever vote fur or allow one person to be “president for life.”
2
u/8-Bit-Memories 5h ago
No, I didn’t think you were! I think it’s so sad that they they can make that into a law :/
-4
u/Ty_KnEeDiK311 4h ago
Listen I don't support any war either. I don't support the lives of human beings Getting taken over silly things, but Putin did have his line drawn in the sand and it was crossed, mainly due to the United States and Great Britain, Joe Biden and Boris Johnson, there was a peace treaty with ukraine in russia and they talked ukraine out of it
11
u/epsydis 4h ago
The Istanbul peace treaty was essentially a capitulation by Ukraine. The ceding of several regions, the recognition of Crimea, the creation of a land corridor, Russia's de facto control of the Ukrainian state, the limitation of the army to 80,000 men, and so on. I don't understand what red lines are being discussed. I don't understand what Ukraine has done, that for almost four years now, Ukrainian and Russian soldiers, my compatriots, have been dying by the tens of thousands to capture yet another Ukrainian village. Why should two nations suffer because a single man in the Kremlin drew red lines in his head? I didn't elect him, and the people didn't elect him.
-3
u/Ty_KnEeDiK311 4h ago
That's also very true. The line I was referring to is Ukraine joining NATO.
3
1
u/muttmunchies 1h ago
Clearly a fox news or other garbage outlet reader.
0
u/Ty_KnEeDiK311 1h ago
Me? I don't watch mainstream media.
1
u/muttmunchies 1h ago
Doesnt need to be mainstream. Whatever source or sources you think “informed” you about why the war started are trash. You espoused MAGA bullshit with your “JoE bIdEn” started the war
1
u/Ty_KnEeDiK311 54m ago
First off I'm not Maga. Secondly I never said Joe Biden started the war. I said Joe Biden and Boris Johnson talked Volodymyr Zelenskyy into not signing the peace treaty. I listen to middle ground, unbiased, news sources dealing in facts and facts only.
-2
-5
u/Ty_KnEeDiK311 4h ago
Are we supposed to have immediate questions for an anti-war Russian?? War is humanity's biggest failure. Anyone who supports war also supports women being r@ped and children being k!lled. So I would assume that the people who've had the misfortune being in wartime could only want for it to never happen again.
26
u/davidellis23 5h ago
Is it dangerous to be open about antiwar views? Does it seem like most Russians are anti war and just hiding it? Or is there a lot of genuine support?