Russians are Starting To Show Discontent

We know the Russian economy is a basket case. We also know the SMO, three days to Kyiv, is now entering its fifth year. It is also longer than the Great Patriotic War. And let’s face it, Ukraine is hitting oil facilities all over the European end of the Federation, and things are not going well for the Rodina.

So let’s start with a warning not just from the Duma, but from history. It is worth noting that the 1917 revolution failed in 1989. All that central planning was part of that failure, and let’s face it, Vladimir Putin has somewhat returned to it, as he has concentrated on guns, while melting whatever butter there was still in that economy:

**‌ The head of the Communist Party, the second largest in Russia, Zyuganov in the State Duma:

“We have told [Putin] ten times that the economy is inevitably going to collapse… If you don’t take immediate measures… in the fall we will face what happened in 1917.”

This is not the first warning either. But this is the loudest, so far. And one reason for it is things like this:

Russian steel giant Severstal reported a 370% drop in profit to 57 million rubles, with revenue down 18% and EBITDA down 54%.

Cash reserves fell 96% and negative cash flow widened, indicating a deepening crisis in the Russian steel sector.

If those kilns go cold, it will be nearly impossible to bring them back online, but that is another matter. In a country that arguably needs a lot of steel for ammunition and armor, here we are. A company that should be making money is going bankrupt. Granted, the new way of war means that drones need more plastic and other cheap materials more than steel, but the army still needs trucks. Did I mention KamAZ is no longer producing as many trucks as it used to?

Russia’s largest truck maker KamAZ will reintroduce a four-day workweek for most of its divisions starting June 1, as a sharp downturn in the domestic heavy truck market forces the company to scale back production plans, Russian media reported.

A preliminary order has already been signed, the Biznes Online outlet reported, citing sources at the plant. The company confirmed the move, pointing to a steep drop in demand.

The decision underscores the deepening crisis in Russia’s commercial vehicle sector, where high interest rates, weakening demand and a glut of unsold trucks — including vehicles returned to leasing firms after payment defaults — are weighing on manufacturers and raising broader concerns about industrial output and employment.

KamAZ said the Russian heavy truck market shrank by 40% in the first two months of 2026. While its own sales fell by a more modest 15% over the same period, its market share rose to 37%.

So this is connected in ways that point to an economy that is a basket case. And if you are the leader of the Communist Party, you can argue capitalism has failed. Oh, never mind, this is not capitalism, but that is another matter. This brings me to this piece of noise. And once you start hearing this from the troops at the front, you know something is starting to flow again. Remember, we heard similar complaints from Yevgeny Prigozhin before the Wagner revolt:

“I’m not fighting for Putin, I’m fighting for money. We hate Putin.”

Kirill Sapunov, a former tractor driver and now a tanker from the Vologda region, shared his story of how he decided to join the “SVO.”

He admits he doesn’t want to kill anyone, and even enjoyed vacationing in Odesa before the war, but he continues to fight for the money. He himself claims that if he were earning a decent salary at home, he wouldn’t have gone anywhere.

So the truth is out, and these troops are not getting enough food, ammo, uniforms, or anything else to fight this war. But troops joining the army for money is an old story in Russia. However, when you have essentially mercenary troops fighting for you, well, you’d better provide them with the tools to fight the war, or in time they will turn on you.

This is not the first time we’ve heard this, though it’s been a while. So that ice flow may be accelerating. I bring you back to the comment of the head of the communist party.

Then there is this from Important Stories:

From support for “SVO” to “we need to leave”. Readers of “MO” told us about a sharp change in the mood of their relatives and friends in recent months. Andinternet blockageshave further worsened attitudes towards the authorities

Nearly two-thirds of Russians said that the situation in the country is tense and explosive, and the number of those who condemn the country’s course is at a record high. We asked our subscribers how the attitude towards the authorities of their relatives, friends, and colleagues has changed in recent months — and received dozens of stories of disappointment, “changing sides”, and a desire to leave. Here are a few typical accounts

🧔 Maxim

💬 We left Russia in 2022, but we still keep in touch with my wife’s sister. Previously, she kept repeating about “enemies and NATO”, assuring that “Patriks are full, everything is fine, the main thing is not to grumble against Putin”. Now everything has changed: sales at work are falling, “insane utilities”, and there’s not enough money. After the blockages, she says: “we need to leave Russia”. There’s no more talk of supporting the authorities — the connection between the war and the deteriorating situation has become obvious to her.

👨 Alexey

💬 My brother in 2022 was “delighted” by the start of the SVO and supported Putin, but in 2025 he suddenly declared that he was a pacifist,</b> “never supported Putin”, and that the war was a mistake. This was greatly influenced by the death of a relative at the front. At the same time, things are different in my family: we have been against the war from the very beginning, and our parents remain convinced supporters of the authorities.

👨‍🦰 Pavel

💬 Trust in “Mr. N” has noticeably declined. The reasons are mixed: failures in propaganda, personal experience of a deteriorating life, general disillusionment. Even the older generation is changing: grandmothers in their 70s, who previously supported the authorities, are now asking: “Why did they even start this in the first place?” At work, too, there’s a turning point: instead of confidence, there’s silence and tired jokes. More and more often, people say: “everything is bad everywhere, except where we’re not”.

👱‍♀️ Galya

💬 Due to the Telegram blockage, my boyfriend lost his job — he was engaged in SMM and video editing for bloggers. Now we, too, are thinking about leaving. In the regions, it feels like “1991 all over again”: people are speaking openly, everyone is annoyed by the internet outages and the economic collapse. Local newspapers are like bulletins: “this has closed, that has closed”. And it’s only getting worse.

So it is not just troops at the front. And what happened with Telegram may be the straw that broke the camel’s back. But the trust that the government has relied on. The social contract-”you sit on the couch, we can do whatever we want”-is utterly broken. This is not minor in the least, and Russians also know the war has come home.

One example of this war coming home is Tuapse, a formerly nice city, in what should have been the rear. Yet, here is what is happening:

“Where the hell is Putin???” Residents of Tuapse, where a fire at an oil refinery has been raging for three days after a Ukrainian drone attack, are complaining about “oil rains”, pollution, and the complete inaction of officials at all levels

In Tuapse, the third day of extinguishing a fire at an oil refinery and oil terminal, which occurred after a Ukrainian drone attack, is ongoing.

Local residents are complaining in Vkontakte groups about “oil rains”, posting photos of polluted areas, dogs and birds, and discussing how to protect themselves from oil products, which are now everywhere — even in drinking wells. And they mock official reports that the concentration of harmful substances does not exceed the norm:

💬What kind of school is there tomorrow… What kind of air fences that don’t exceed the norm… Do you think we’re fools??? Are you making these fences in your own apartments??

💬Ordinary masks don’t help. (Not a single layer of gauze, soaked in water) It’s clear that this is a disaster for both animals and people. Nobody is measuring anything, and if they do, they just draw the numbers they need — that’s obvious. It’s up to us to take care of ourselves and our families

💬Where the hell is Putin??? — in a warm and clean air for sure!

💬I walked by the sea in Tuapse today — and saw something that won’t leave my head. Birds… Three of them, all covered in fuel. Completely. They’re sitting right on the shore, not flying away, not hiding. Simply because they can’t.

💬I hope we don’t end up like in Metro 2033, walking around in gas masks

💬Be careful, there are definitely cases of oil in the wells in the Krivenkovskoe and Georgievskoe villages. I don’t know about the wells yet. For those who have wells, pay attention

💬Who can the residents count on? My sister says it’s a complete mess. They can’t even go outside with the kids. And nobody cares. They didn’t even provide basic masks. Kondratiev [the governor of Krasnodar Krai] has already reported with a concerned look, and the Kremlin doesn’t care at all — it’s not Moscow that was attacked, so the whole country doesn’t care and doesn’t send help…

Indignant comments are also appearing on Veniamin Kondratiev’s own page:

💬An ecological disaster is happening in Tuapse! It’s impossible to breathe because of the smoke and combustion products from the oil refinery! There’s oil rain on the street, homeless animals are all covered in oil, it’s scary to go outside! Take measures!

💬Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai. The fire is still going on after the attack, and today it’s raining with oil products and/or their combustion products. Because of this, everything is covered with a kind of film. How safe is this for people? What measures are being taken or will be taken to alleviate the situation?

In some discussions, bots appear — and convince locals that “experts” have the situation under control. According to data from the “Post” channel, the Krasnodar Krai authorities have banned local media from covering the consequences of the attack on Tuapse.

Over the past week, Tuapse has been attacked twice — on April 16 and 20. Since the beginning of 2026, attacks on Russian oil facilities have significantly increased: there have been at least 12 major fires. The terminal in the Ust-Luga port, the Nizhegorodsky and Novokuybyshevsky oil refineries, and the “Shekharis” terminal in the Novorossiysk port were hit.

The increase in attacks may be related to Ukraine’s technological and quantitative breakthrough in the production and tactical use of drones, as well as the growing shortage of anti-aircraft missiles in the Russian army.

This is not just about attacking the heart of the Russian economy. It is also the damage it is doing to the country, and chiefly, bringing the war to the Russians in the rear. This is not going to be easy for Russians. But they are now talking about this. Once again, I bring you back to the warning of the head of the communist party.

The war has broken the social contract completely, and Russians have figured this out. Russia has revolts and revolutions somewhat often. Start with the 1805 Decembrist Revolt, follow with the 1905 revolution, the 1917 February and October Revolutions, and the 1989 dissolution of the USSR. We all know what happened in the 1990s; we know Putin took over in 2000, and his dream was to rebuild the empire.

We are at the end of that dream, and we may start to see far more fireworks. Because Russians are starting to talk. And that dream has become a nightmare.