Mini Ethnography: Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Mini Ethnography
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Mini Ethnography
Russia's invasion of Ukraine accounts for a wide range of implications for its citizens across the country's social, political, and economic domains. The country's economic sanctions, for instance, account for widespread unemployment due to the closing down of multinational corporations such as McDonald's, which shut down over 800 of its outlets across the nation CITATION Nol22 \l 1033 (Nolan 2022). Economic sanctions target key Russian banks, members of the country's oligarch, and other individuals with close ties to the Kremlin. The country faces further exclusion from the global sporting events and even isolation from research organizations and activities in protest of the invasion of Ukraine CITATION Int22 \l 1033 (Group 2022). Media coverage of the ongoing conflict is characteristic of widespread misinformation. Both countries accuse each other of spreading fake news and distorted information towards winning the support of their citizens and sympathizers around the world. Russian crackdown on protesters, social media activists, media outlets condemning the government's actions in Ukraine, and the nation's propaganda machine, limit access to Russians' genuine views and perspectives on the invasion CITATION Kra22 \l 1033 (Kralova 2022). Thus it becomes a challenge to understand the implications of the war on Russians and their opinions or perspectives on their government's invasion of Ukraine. The knowledge of the stated challenges and limitations of the biased coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the need to voice the perspective of Russian citizens on the same informed the development of this mini ethnographic project. Provided herein is a mini ethnography project based on a short filmed interview of a Russian family sharing their feelings, views, and perspectives on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A Moment of Truth
The project builds around a short documentary film on a Russian family whose members share their feelings and views on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The film begins with a short clip of a speech delivered by President Vladimir Putin on February 23, 2020, before his country invaded Ukraine on the following day CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022). The film then shifts from the short video clip of President Putin's press conference to show the recorded responses of the Russian family members to some interview questions on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. At the beginning of the film, Putin's introductory remarks reiterate the country's longstanding foreign policy goals and public statements of Russia's respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and autonomy CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022) (Putin. 0.0-0.25). Daria and Polina's father, Aleksey, then responds to an interview question on whether or not he thought there would be a war with Ukraine (0:30). Aleksey, 41, who lives and works in Moscow, Russia, responds to Putin's speech by saying that no one expected the country to invade Ukraine, especially after the president remarked on respect for international law and Ukraine's sovereignty. He is astonished and finds it hard to believe that his country would take such a course of action in the 21st century CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022).
Daria and Polina then share their views on how they got the information about the invasion in the next scene (0:55-01:18). The sisters, from Moscow but studying in London, state that they got the information about Russia's invasion of Ukraine from Russian sources and other mainstream media outlets such as CNN and the BBC CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022). One of the sisters further claims that she got the information from a Ukrainian influencer campaigning against the invasion on social media. The interviewer then asks the sisters how they felt about their country's invasion of Ukraine, unto which they share their shock and disbelief at the invasion. Daria and Polina share an experience of nervous breakdown and loss of functionality in the immediate moments of hearing the news, followed by shame and guilt. They also felt helpless with the situation as they are so far away from home to do anything about their government's action CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022). According to the sisters, their country's authoritarian political system also perpetuates their inaction against its invasion of Ukraine as it does not condone any form of dissent (Daria & Polina; 01:18-01:44). On the question of the invasion's implications on Russian citizens, Aleksey responds by saying that the country's isolation and sanctions have created a lot of uncertainty in the country. He claims that it is now difficult to access financial services because they cannot make certain currency withdrawals such as U.S. dollars or Euros CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022). The economic challenges make it difficult for individuals to take care of their essential needs, such as buying medication for loved ones. Daria and Polina, on the other hand, experience different implications of the Russia-Ukraine situation as they are currently based in the United Kingdom. The students felt ashamed of speaking their national language while on the train in London CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022). Perhaps this was due to the uncertainty of other people's reaction to them being Russian, thus creating an unwarranted awareness of their language in a foreign country. The film further covers an interview session with Larisa, Daria and Polina's grandmother, on her visit to the sisters in London. She shares her thoughts on Russia's image and reputation across the globe based on the unfolding events in Ukraine (Larisa; 03:35) CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022). Larisa shares the same sentiment as her granddaughters, saying that Russians feel ashamed, guilty, and shocked by the country's invasion. She also urges the world to understand that the Russian people had no hand in the attack and that the citizenry is helpless in the situation due to the country's political system that limits their political involvement or participation CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022). People are afraid of the political system's intolerance of dissent, and they are scared to take any action in protest of the government's invasion of Ukraine. Larisa observes that Russians face uncertainty over the country's future, which creates a stressful situation for the citizens. Aleksey stresses the uncertainty of the country's future, claiming that it is difficult to predict when and whether the country will be good for its upcoming generations. However, he shows some optimism (Aleksey, 05:08). The last scene of the film highlights Larisa's thoughts on the whole situation and her perspective on the future of Russia. She is optimistic that the country will deviate from its pursuit of power and influence through violence and intimidation to becoming a significant contributor to the global social, political, and economic spectrum CITATION Rus22 \l 1033 (Family 2022). The film ends with a statement about the country's identity as a nation defined by its people and not by the government's actions.
Reflection on the Aims and Achievements of the Project
Among the aims of the project was to highlight Russians' feelings, views, and perspectives on their country's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The project sought to overcome the existing biases in reporting Russian sentiments over the escalating situation in their neighboring country since the invasion. For instance, there have been conflicting views and opinions regarding the citizens' support for the invasion of their former Soviet counterparts. Some media outlets reflect higher approval rates among the Russian population, with others showing opposing trends CITATION Par22 \l 1033 (Parker 2022). The project also captures the emotional implications of the situation across the Russian age divide, reflecting the overall surprise, shock, and shame among the population. The project further succeeds in highlighting the generational differences in the view and perception of the government's actions within and outside the country CITATION Gor22 \l 1033 (Gorbunov 2022). Younger Russians such as Aleksey and his daughters represent two generations that hold progressive ideologies and anti-war sentiments. Though they are not afraid of sharing their thoughts, they remain aware of their country's oppressive political system. Most of the country's young generation is aware of the ruling elite's clamor for power and use of the authoritarian rule to impose its oppressive domestic and foreign policies CITATION Ges22 \l 1033 (Gessen 2022). Thus the project intended to ...