Sales of antidepressants soar in Russia as reality of Ukraine war bites
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Terrified Russia: Antidepressant sales soar as military mobilization brings home the realities of war in Ukraine – 400,000 people flee the country to avoid conscription… but no sign yet of Putin overturning, Western officials reveal
- Sales of antidepressants in Russia have risen 70 percent this year, it has been announced
- ‘Terrified’ Russians feel the effects of Putin’s ‘catastrophic’ war in Ukraine
- 400,000 have fled the country since he started enlisting in the military
- Despite this, there is no indication that Putin will be replaced – at least in the short term
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Antidepressant sales in Russia have skyrocketed as the dire reality of Putin’s war in Ukraine finally dawns on the public, Western officials said.
Russians spent 70 percent more on the pills in the first eight months of this year than last year, even though they spent much of 2021 in Covid lockdowns, figures show.
“Russians are afraid” as the “catastrophic mistake” of Putin’s invasion — including conscription and a tank economy — begins to affect people’s lives, the officials added.
That is underlined by the fact that at least 400,000 have fled since Putin announced in September he would begin drafting men for the military, significantly more than the 300,000 he has added to his ranks.
Vladimir Putin faces mounting disagreements at home as the miserable reality of his war approaches, but there is no prospect of him being replaced, Western officials said.
Despite this, officials say there is no sign that Putin has decided to change course in Ukraine and no sign that anyone is preparing to replace him.
Russia is now in its ninth month of fighting in Ukraine and has failed to achieve any of the military goals set by Putin at the start of the war.
The Kremlin thought it was embroiled in an easy conflict that would take days to resolve and had “no plan B” for what to do if the war went wrong, officials said.
“They still don’t have a plan B,” the official added.
That has led to growing dissension within both the Russian population and the elite close to Putin, who are increasingly willing to publicly express their discontent.
Russians are not supportive of the war, the officials said, and elites are increasingly concerned about the cost to their businesses, as well as the prospect of their children being drafted to fight on the front lines.
That has led people like Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner boss dubbed “Putin’s chief,” to publicly criticize the way the war is being waged — though not Putin himself.
Officials added that there is “no chance of a change of leadership” in Russia in the near term – although the elections scheduled for 2024 were marked as a moment of likely tension.
Russia is now in its ninth month of fighting in Ukraine and “still has no plan B” after the Kiev lightning strikes failed, officials said.
Both Ukraine and Russia are digging into what is likely to be a protracted and bloody war with no end in sight
More to follow…