War is always a good pretext for crushing internal dissent, since critics can easily be branded as traitors. Some Russian observers believe the only reason Puti

War is always a good pretext for crushing internal dissent, since critics can easily be branded as traitors. Some Russian observers believe the only reason Putin is invading Ukraine right now is because his position has weakened to the point that he needed a war to shore up support and get rid of opposition. So now is probably not a great time to accurately gauge how much real support and loyalty he commands.