Living In Moscow At The Time Of War

Kala Sunder, a friend and well-wisher of Silver Talkies, moved to Moscow in the early half of 2022. Here’s her take on a question she’s often asked – living in Moscow at the time of the Russia-Ukraine war. 

Friends ask me how I like it in Moscow at this time. For me, coming from Bengaluru, it is very comfortable. The city authorities (the equivalent of our BBMP, BDA, BMTC, BMRCL and others) do their job professionally and efficiently. I drink tap water; I walk all over the city on smooth pavements without having to watch for pits, hanging wires and cables, garbage and other obstacles. There are regular zebra crossings, lights, underground crossings and bridges for pedestrians' safety. The city is clean, well-lit, and safe.  Power outages and air and noise pollution are not topics of conversation. The metro, buses, trams and trains cover every part of the city, and taxis and self-drive cars are affordable. The freedom to go wherever one wishes to, even late at night, is wonderful, especially for women.

Daily life is not impacted by the war, at least not yet. Food prices have increased but no more than in other parts of the world. Most foreign brands in consumer goods, fast foods and electronics have left, and there is talk (mainly only talk yet) of shortages of all kinds of things. The only one I have experienced is that every point of sale now routinely asks if you need a printed receipt because there is a shortage of that type of paper. It is expected that as inventories run out, we will see empty shelves. 

By the way, there is no shortage of baby formula. 

Manufacturing is in trouble, I hear, because of supply chain disruptions, and there is a shortage of certain seeds because of the global seed monopolies. 

Since almost all the MNCs were based in Moscow, job losses have been high in the capital. The mayor put the figure at 200,000. Other cities are not affected so severely. 

Another question I am often asked is what do Russians feel about the war. My social circle here is small and not diverse, and no one I know supports it. Even among the larger population, there is no display of the chest-thumping jingoism that we see even at a cricket match. But most people resent the selective outrage against Russia and the demonisation of Russians. Do you think we are evil, they ask, and I see how pained they are. Blaming and victimising through sanctions a whole people for the actions of their state is unfair. We know that even in a democracy, the common people can be rendered powerless against the government. 

Young people who have grown up during a period of rising living standards are upset at the inability to travel abroad and falling disposable incomes. They are also questioning the morality of violence and the lack of democracy and civil rights. However, I fear that as the conflict drags on and the dehumanisation of Russia continues, this sentiment will drift towards support for the state and not the other way round. Older people are stoic. They have seen many hardships and take this as one more they can live through. I can feel that while on the outside, people are going about their lives, as usual, there is an undercurrent of sadness and tension. 

This is an "interesting" time to be here.

Read Kala Sunder's travelogue on the city of Tver in Russia here.

All images courtesy: Pixabay