Russia

 Washington Post -  Ever since he launched the all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been claiming that his “special military operation,” as the Kremlin propaganda euphemistically calls it, enjoys overwhelming support among Russian citizens — going as far as to say that “the entire nation” is united behind his war.

 This claim has always been dubious. How do you truthfully measure public opinion in a country that imprisons people for expressing opinions — in the case of anti-war speech, for seven, 12 or (as with me) 25 years? Puzzlingly, some commentators in the West, including harsh Putin critics, have accepted the Kremlin narrative at face value, buying into — and repeating — the idea that most Russians support the war.

 But actions speak louder than words. And, as often happens with dictatorships, the most stunning act of self-exposure came from the regime itself. On Monday, after a single day’s hearing, Russia’s Supreme Court annulled the electoral registration of Yabloko — the only party in the country that opposes the war in Ukraine and calls for an immediate ceasefire — barring it from the September parliamentary election.