- Ordinary Russians are starting to question the war in Ukraine, a Russian blogger told Insider.
- The Wagner Group's weekend rebellion has stoked doubt among civilians, Natalia Konstantinova said.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to maintain a facade of strength in the aftermath of the Wagner armed rebellion, ordinary Russian civilians are beginning to question their leaders — and their country's presence in Ukraine, a Russian content creator told Insider.
Natalia Konstantinova, a 34-year-old Russian blogger who lives in Saint Petersburg and creates content focused on Russian culture, said the weekend uprising has prompted even some of the staunchest pro-war Russians to reconsider the purpose of their country's war in Ukraine.
Konstantinova, who has been critical of the war since its onset, acknowledged she is likely more informed about the realities of the conflict than most Russian citizens, thanks to her English-language skills and appetite for Western news. She doesn't presume to speak for all her countryfolk, but her observations on life since the Wagner revolt offer insight into the slow-shifting Russian attitudes toward the war.
"People start asking questions. You say it's going to be three days and we are almost two years here," Konstantinova said, recounting Putin's original plan to capture Kyiv in just three days.
@natashasrussia Replying to @ ♬ original sound - Natasha from Russia
Chaos struck Russia last week when Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russia's mercenary Wagner Group, led an armed revolt against the Russian defense ministry after months of publicly castigating the country's military leaders.
Thousands of Wagner troops-for-hire marched toward Moscow on Saturday before Prigozhin eventually turned his forces around, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. The Kremlin agreed to drop criminal charges against the one-time Putin ally in exchange for his exile to neighboring Belarus, though the specifics of the tenuous peace-deal remain unclear.
For the majority of typical Russian citizens, the Wagner uprising came as a "huge shock," Konstantinova told Insider.
"They have no idea what's on the brains of people on the frontline," she said.
Konstantinova said she's noticed skepticism among Russian civilians festering for months now.
"You say we go to denazify Ukraine; you say they are our enemies," she said of Russia's leaders. "But why do you send people who aren't trained?
Reports from the frontlines suggest many Russian draftees have been sent to replenish the fight in Ukraine with little training and faulty equipment in a battle being waged on Putin's propagandist lies.
Konstantinova said she's seen doubt growing among Russians since the spring when Prigozhin first started speaking out about the troubles his soldiers were facing on the battlefield, slamming the Russian defense ministry for withholding ammunition from his troops.
Prigozhin escalated his rhetoric last week as he readied his mercenary troops to revolt, publicly casting doubt on Putin's purported motive for sending troops into the country in the first place.
On the surface, life has changed very little for most Russians since their country went to war, Konstantinova said. Those who live close to the Ukrainian border or who had a loved one drafted may have felt the true impact of the conflict, but scores of others have not yet been forced to face it, she said.
Russian leaders continue to project a narrative of calm control even in the face of chaos, Konstantinova said, echoing their platitudes: "Everything is under control as always, everything goes by the plan."
Konstantinova traveled to Mariupol with several other Russian citizens in December of last year, delivering electric heaters to Ukrainian citizens still living in the decimated and frozen city. During her time in the Donbas, she said she had the opportunity to speak with Russian soldiers who had been drafted to fight in the war.
@natashasrussia Day 2. We spent just hanging out around Mariupol, because our trucks with heaters were stuck on the border.
♬ original sound - Natasha from Russia
"What you hear from Prigozhin when he started speaking openly, it's basically what's in the mind of usual guys who sit there in the trenches," Konstantinova told Insider.
Prigozhin claimed Russian soldiers in Rostov allowed Wagner troops to enter the region without strife, while photos and videos showed residents in Rostov-on-Don apparently cheering for the mercenary fighters as they entered the city.
"So when Putin says there was no support for Wagner, it's absolutely fake information," Konstantinova said. "There is a lot of support for Prigozhin among lower class of officers."