Invisible changes
Let's try to understand why, in fact, everyone is so worried about the topic of “returnees”? Why all this fuss — did Pugacheva come for good or take care of business and dump again, or Friedman, who suddenly became not an oligarch at all (see D.S. Peskov, “Answers to Media Questions,” I don’t know which one anymore) and who admitted the “big mistake” of investing in the UK, and not in Russia, or Urgant, who is babbling in Dubai that he has been wanting to say “sorry” for a year and a half, but still nothing… What’s so catchy?
It would seem that a cut piece can only be corrected by the grave. They left, spat, and forgot it like a bad dream. Some news comes from there: either the oligarch does not have enough money for a cleaning lady and has to take up the broom himself, then a man working with his mouth on stage with an elderly relative is on the run again, having miscalculated. Well, it's funny, that's all.
But as soon as the rumor arises “they are coming here again”, indignation begins. And what’s remarkable is that the indignation is not about the very fact of returning. After all, everyone here already understands everything about “there” and it will not even be interesting to exclaim: “I told you so!” Indignation arises because the return occurs.
And it happens as if it was necessary, as if nothing had happened. No support for Ukraine, no words addressed to us “they were slaves — they became slaves.” And from somewhere above comes the explanation: “Any Russian citizen always freely returns to his homeland and leaves it just as freely.” All that remains is to wait for something like “Christmas meetings with Ivan Urgant” on the main TV channel of the country.
Everything is logical. Those citizens for whom there are no questions regarding “free return and free departure” are not at all alien to the ruling class. What questions are there? These are not the same people. Therefore, only the people have questions.
With the beginning of the SVO, hope arose for internal changes in the country, that there would be more justice in everything. After all, the SVO, in essence, is not about territories, but about justice, finally, for the people, which is why it has such popular support.
We see these changes in the situation of “how exactly do they return”? We see it, right? This is what catches you.