Questioning expansion: A Russian woman's reflection on land and poverty

The war in Ukraine has been going on for two and a half years now. During this time, many Russians emigrated, and those who remained faced a new reality. By choosing to vacation within Russia instead of travelling abroad, they exposed themselves to longer trips across their country. After leaving the hustle and bustle of big cities, they were particularly struck by the widespread poverty and backwardness.

These journeys through the "hinterlands" caused some of them to reflect more deeply on the politics their country was pursuing. One Russian woman, who has already emigrated, decided to share her similar reflections online and directly asked, "Why does Russia, with such a vast territory, want even more land?"

As she mentioned, she had travelled across Russia many times with her family, but her last trip to Sochi for skiing made a particular impression on her. It was there that she saw that Russia is incredibly backward in many regions and has not changed since tsarist times.

We have a huge country. Centuries would not be enough to develop it. So just before Voronezh, we turned off the federal highway [...] and drove through this area, and I had the impression that this region hasn't recovered from the Pechenegs and Polovtsians (12th and 13th centuries) — she said.

After a while, she added that she does not understand why Russia needs additional territories when it cannot clean and manage its current expanses. At the same time, many commenters noted that she is a very aware woman, and it is a pity that the rest of the Russians in big cities do not share similar views.