(MOSCOW) – Russian parliament deputies refused to join the speaker in shouts of support for the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin during a session of the State Duma, in a striking display of silence captured by state television channels.
The moment of silence, which would have been unthinkable a year ago, came as the speaker attempted to rally deputies with chants of “Putin, victory, motherland” but received no response from the assembled lawmakers.
The refusal to demonstrate loyalty follows growing panic across Russia as the war reaches increasingly strategic sites essential to the Russian war economy. Economic pressures have intensified after Sberbank, Russia’s largest state-owned bank, announced it has no funds available to finance the war effort or cover the federal budget deficit.
Russia’s federal budget deficit currently stands at approximately 7.2 trillion rubles (£61.3 billion, $72.4 billion, €66.5 billion). The central bank has already injected about 2.3 trillion rubles (£19.6 billion, $23.1 billion, €21.2 billion) into the banking system, raising concerns about inflationary pressures.
Russian banks are reportedly preparing to convert citizens’ deposits into military bonds without obtaining permission from account holders, a measure that echoes similar actions taken during the Stalin era in the 1930s and again in 1947 following the Second World War.
Regional deputies have begun pressing their representatives in parliament with urgent questions about the fate of people’s savings and whether deposits will be forcibly converted into war bonds. Many Russians are rushing to withdraw cash, though authorities have imposed increasing restrictions on access to funds.
Interviews with Russian deputies who declined to glorify the dictator have focused predominantly on economic concerns, including the future of citizens’ deposits. The deputies’ reluctance to support Putin appears driven by fears for their own political futures and financial interests rather than humanitarian concerns about Ukraine.
Russian oligarchs are reportedly relocating funds outside the country, and many of their children are studying in Western nations that the Kremlin officially denigrates. This pattern, observers note, demonstrates that few serious decision-makers in Russia believe in the country’s future under current leadership.
The Kremlin faces mounting pressure as it must now allocate resources not only for offensive operations against Ukraine but also for defending Russian territory. Ukrainian strikes have reportedly damaged oil refineries and other strategic infrastructure across Russia, including in Moscow, St Petersburg and distant republics.
Russian air defence systems have demonstrated significant vulnerabilities, with businesspeople and bloggers frequently questioning why defences continue to fail against Ukrainian strikes on legitimate military targets.
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