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
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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.
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.
However, the officials said there is “no chance of a change of leadership” in the near term, although the elections scheduled for 2024 are identified as a moment of likely tension.
More to follow…