Russia's year of war: Purge of critics, surge of nationalism
In the year since Russia invaded Ukraine, there has been a broad government crackdown that has silenced opposition to the war
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Moscow's nights display few signs of a nation at war.
Cheerful crowds packed restaurants and bars in the Sretenka neighborhood on a recent Saturday night, watched by officers marked as “tourist police.” Nearby, a top-hatted guide led about 40 sightseers to a 300-year-old church.
There's only an occasional “Z” — the symbol of Russia's “special military operation,” as the Ukraine invasion is officially known — seen on a building or a shuttered store abandoned by a Western retailer. A poster of a stern-faced soldier, with the slogan “Glory to the heroes of Russia,” is a reminder the conflict has dragged on for a year.
Western stores are gone, but customers can still buy their products — or knockoffs sold under a Russian name or branding.
