ITV News political correspondent Carl Dinnen reports the attitudes from Russia Flying to Russia’s Vostochny spaceport to celebrate Cosmonaut Day, Vladimir Putin was much closer to his country’s border with China than to Ukraine. But despite the fact that he was thousands of miles away from Ukraine, it was clear that the conflict was at the top of his mind. Speaking to space workers at the spacecraft, President Putin told them that the goals of Russia’s operation in Ukraine “are absolutely clear and noble.” In recent days, Russia has been accused of war crimes in Ukraine, the use of chemical weapons and the execution and rape of civilians, including children. On Tuesday, President Putin reiterated his statement that he had launched a “special military operation” against Ukraine to protect Russia. “On the one hand, we are helping and rescuing people, and on the other, we are just taking steps to ensure the security of Russia itself,” Putin said. “Obviously we had no choice. It was the right decision.” Watch the Bucha report by Dan Rivers – a warning, the video contains footage and images of the dead and scenes showing the effects of torture This video contains sad imagesBrightcove video playback Framed by his closest ally, President Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President Putin dismissed reports of Russian war crimes in Ukraine as “fake” and said the peace talks had reached a “dead end”. Belarus is currently hosting thousands of Russian troops, and its leader Alexander Lukashenko has said that alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine were a “special operation organized by the British.” “If someone needs more addresses, passwords and registration numbers of cars that used to come to Bucha, then the Russian FSB can give you these materials,” Lukashenko said. The allegation that the United Kingdom is organizing war crimes in Ukraine to falsely frame Russia has been widely reported on Russian state television. What you need to know – Listen to the podcast “In a cellar, they are piling up corpses that will be presented as the next alleged victims of the Russian army,” said Colonel-General Mikhail Mizinchev, who ordered the attacks on Mariupol. Most Russians receive their news on state television, and views expressed by the military, television presenters and experts resonate on the country’s streets. “I support the business,” a man told ITV News in Moscow on Tuesday. “The Ukrainians sold everything they could, including our friendship. We did so well. We were a people, but they betrayed us. They sold out to the Americans so that the Americans could have a chance to lay down their arms near our borders.” ITV News correspondent Peter Smith reports the allegation of a chemical attack in Mariupol According to the latest poll released by the independent polling agency Levada Center, 81% of Russians support Russia in the conflict against Ukraine, saying they feel “proud” of the Russian military’s actions. Most people, according to the poll, believe that Russia’s actions are aimed at protecting people in the Donbas region. “It’s hard to be sure how many people are hearing about alleged crimes,” Dennis Goodkov of the Levada Center told ITV News. “ “The conflict makes it difficult to hear news from places other than official Russian sources, and people think they need to hear official information.” In addition to consolidating state sovereignty on television – and in the minds of ordinary Russians – the conflict with Ukraine has also given President Vladimir Putin a boost in popularity. “In October last year, President Putin’s support was about 63%,” Denis Volkov of the Levada Center told ITV News. “By the time the escalation started, his score had already risen. In March his support went up significantly and by the end of March he had about 83% support.” Hundreds of Russians have been arrested in connection with anti-war protests in Ukraine. Credit: AP There are indications, however, that the Russians are increasingly concerned about the financial impact of their country’s military involvement in the war with Ukraine. As support for President Putin grows, so do concerns about the impact of Western sanctions on Russia. According to a new poll by the Levada Center, more than half of Russians say they are worried about sanctions, while a third say their sanctions have created personal problems. Speaking at the Vostochny spaceport on the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s first man in space mission, President Putin rejected the consequences of the sanctions. Putin said Russia would use sanctions to promote and develop new domestic technologies, as the Soviets did decades ago. “We do not intend to isolate ourselves,” Putin said. “It is impossible to isolate oneself seriously in the modern world – especially such a huge country as Russia.” Not all Russians agree. In the cold and noisy streets of Moscow today, the cold of international isolation seemed to urge some Russians to speak out. “What is happening in Ukraine,” said one student, “violates all the rules of international law and I am completely against it.” “I was scared for too long and I think we have to talk now. We are isolated in the world and I want people to know that there are a lot of people in Russia who are against it.”
