Russians who have not left Russia and do not protest against war are Putin's supporters - Chalyi

He expressed this opinion in the Verdict with Sergiy Rudenko program on Espreso TV channel.

"All people who are now in Russia bear collective responsibility for what is happening in Ukraine. I believe that all Russians who have not left Russia and are not protesting, collectively support Putin. Russia's war against Ukraine is a joint action of Russians and Putin," Chalyi explained.

The diplomat stressed that Russians can accuse the Russian leadership of weakness, which leads to defeats at the front.

"For Russians, weakness is manifested in defeats. That is, when their army retreats or suffers defeats at the front, it is a weakness for them. And the interesting thing is that they will blame anyone, but not themselves. They will sit at home on the couch and look for the guilty in the defeat of their army. And the entire military-political command of Russia may become guilty," he added.

• On December 30, 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov addressed the Russians liable for military service with a warning about the closure of the borders for men by the Russian authorities in early January and a new wave of mobilisation.
• On January 3, the National Resistance Center at the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russia is planning a wave of mobilisation in the occupied territories in southern Ukraine.