In Sudzha, Russia, occupied by the Ukrainian troops since mid-August 2024, remaining Russian residents are trying to cozy up to the new power — the Ukrainians.
One of the Ukrainian soldiers told about his experience of Russians:
"In classic Russian tradition, the best way to start a conversation with representatives of the new administration with blue tape on their sleeves is to rat out your neighbor.
The Sudzhans do it perfectly. In the first days of our stay, with the help of the locals, we knew who was a cop, who was a border guard, who was in the military, who voted for Putin, who was feeding the Russian soldiers and who was an avid supporter of the war.
This is what "90% of votes for Putin" look like in real life.
I am sure that in other cities of the Russian Federation the picture would be about the same.”
Russians don’t have love or loyalty for Putin.
They are loyal to whomever is calling the shots.