Conversations with my relatives and friends in Russia

A few extracts from my messaging threads: one with my father (in Moscow), one with my mom (my parents are divorced; my mom and stepfather left Russia two weeks ago and are now with us in America), and another one with a group of close friends with whom I’ve had a chat group for many years. Two are in Moscow, two in London and I’m in the US. We’ve known each other for more than twenty years — since we were students at Cambridge. As for my father — I mentioned him in several of my stories. He’d gladly leave Russia but his visa expired and he has a business in Moscow to look after, at least in the near future.

Translated from Russian to English and redacted in places for clarity. In this story I want to avoid making judgments or drawing generalizations, rather document a few “data points” — anecdotal no doubt, but coming from the people who I know closely, who have first-hand knowledge of the current situation in Russia.

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With my father, on WhatsApp:

Me: so, sanctions — are they working? or are people getting used?

Father: Not yet, in fact, there is a little growth, like during the pandemic.

Me: so all these exits — Ikea, McDonald's. No one gives a damn?

Father: It looks like it, for now. What pisses me off most is how many idiots there are in the country. Like today, I’m checking out at the store [my dad’s business is a few supermarkets in and around Moscow] and this…