A Russian pensioner explains his support for Putin amid inflation and questionable reports on the Ukraine war

Speaking to Jowharat his Moscow home, Alexandrichs made clear his support for President Vladimir Putin amid soaring inflation and food prices along with state TV’s dubious coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the ruble has collapsed and inflation has risen, Alexander, a pensioner in Moscow, buys his groceries at prices that keep rising.

“Fruit juice, for example, I can’t buy what I want. I have to buy special things,” he told France 24.

“As you can see, there are food shortages all over the world,” says Alexander, watching a Russian state television report on global food supplies. “It’s not just prices that are going up here.”

Sometimes, Alexander wonders if TV reports are telling him the whole truth. And he watched a news host deliver the following message: “Our soldiers obtained documents proving that Kyiv was preparing an attack on Russia …”

“Attack from Ukraine on Crimea,” Alexander says. “I doubt it.” “they [Ukraine]I know that this will mean an open war with Russia. ”

Nevertheless, Alexander supports his country and its president, Vladimir Putin.

“Blaming Putin for all the ills is like blaming Stalin. It was the course of politics and history that forced them to make certain decisions. They had no other choice,” he says.

He says, “I am Russian and I can’t see well how I can’t support my country… He’s like a wife, a good wife may think her husband is right, or not, but in any case she should stand by him and recharge his ammunition.”