MOSCOW—Four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the conflict has moved beyond state television screens and into the daily lives of citizens. The government has consolidated its control, transforming society through expanded restrictions and intensified propaganda.
Early in the invasion, George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984" saw a rise in popularity across Russia. One St. Petersburg bookstore in late 2022 displayed copies of the book as a garland, while another featured a mug with Orwell's face alongside patriotic literature.
Moscow's Respublika bookshop initially continued to sell cultural products from "unfriendly countries," including music albums by Ed Sheeran and the Rolling Stones. Its bestsellers included American, British and exiled Russian authors such as Boris Akunin and Dmitry Bykov.
Over time, the Kremlin's demands for cultural conformity increased. Akunin and Bykov were later accused of "extremism," and their works joined an official list of 5,000 banned titles. Respublika subsequently removed those books and moved Orwell's works to a less prominent location.
Restrictions have expanded across public life—widespread book bans, reduced access to social media platforms, crackdowns on protests and measures targeting the LGBTQ community and feminist movements.
The "foreign agent" law, initially established in 2012 to identify organizations receiving international funding, has become a primary tool to prosecute and ban those who disagree with the state. In early 2022, approximately 300 individuals and organizations were on the list; today that number exceeds 1,100.
Despite the tightening grip, Russians continue to engage with forbidden ideas. "1984" was the most stolen book from one bookstore chain in 2023. In the first half of 2025, thefts of the Russian constitution surpassed even "1984" at the same chain.
The Russian constitution explicitly forbids censorship and guarantees freedom of thought, speech and access to information. Russians joke that they read Orwell for its reflection of reality and the constitution as a "beautiful utopia."
Patriotic slogans and imagery promoting the war fill television screens, giant billboards and online advertisements.
On March 14, 2022, Marina Ovsyannikova interrupted a peak-time news program, "Vremya," holding a placard denouncing the war and accusing the station of broadcasting lies. She later released a video on Telegram describing the war as a crime and blaming President Vladimir Putin, and expressed shame for her role in broadcasting state narratives. Her brief on-air protest became a defining image of Russian opposition to the conflict.
Nina Khrushcheva, a professor at The New School, said visiting Russia over the past four years was like watching the "consolidation of a dictatorship in real time." The state, initially suppressing opposition selectively, has grown more pervasive in its control.
