Ian Explains: What the war in Ukraine looks like inside Russia

Ian Explains: What the war in Ukraine looks like inside Russia | GZERO World

Why do so many Russians continue to support the war in Ukraine? And what does public support even mean in a country with no viable political opposition, no independent media, and an autocratic government bent on controlling the narrative?

On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer takes a look at the Russian media landscape and breaks down why Russians see the Ukraine invasion as an existential battle for the future of the country. Popular political talk shows, watched by millions of Russians in prime time every night, reflect the Kremlin’s messaging priorities and magnify themes established by Putin himself --- namely, that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century” and the collective West, led by the United States, wants to destroy Russia.

The messaging on Russian TV will be critical for the Kremlin to maintain support as the highly-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive kicks off in earnest. And after 24 hours of chaos following Wagner Group head Yevgevny Priogzhin’s armed rebellion against the Russian military, sudden reversal, and exodus to Belarus, Putin needs to project an image of total stability and complete control.

Will Putin be able to control the message after such a brazen, public challenge to his authority? And how is the Ukrainian counteroffensive playing inside Russia?

Watch Ian Explains for the full breakdown, and for more on Russia, watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on US public television and at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of tech giant Alibaba, was once synonymous with entrepreneurship in China. But in 2020, he disappeared from public view after criticizing the country’s financial system amid President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on the tech sector. Recently, however, it seems Jack Ma may be back in the Communist party’s good graces. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer spoke with China analyst and Sinocism author Bill Bishop about the meaning behind Ma’s apparent reemergence and rehabilitation.

Palestinians are fleeing their homes in response to Israel army evacuation orders in a number of neighborhoods following heavy Israeli strikes in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025.
REUTERS/Abd Elhkeem Khaled

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire ended overnight, as Israel resumed airstrikes on the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ refusal to release Israeli hostages. Over 300 fatalities have been reported, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Congolese and Belgian citizens take part in a protest in Brussels, while clashes between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo take place in DRC.
REUTERS/Yves Herman

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have withdrawn from peace talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo that were set to start Tuesday in Angola, citing sanctions imposed by the European Commission on Rwandan officials for plundering mineral wealth in the DRC. Rwanda, meanwhile, has severed diplomatic ties with Belgium, which had urged the Commission to impose the sanctions.

French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on March 17, 2025.
REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

Amid Europe’s growing rift with President Donald Trump, a French lawmaker this weekend called on the United States to “give us back the Statue of Liberty” now that Americans “have chosen to side with the tyrants.” But French President Emmanuel Macron came out with a more concrete plan to split with Washington: He's urging allies to buy European missile systems, not American ones.

Syrian troops sit atop a tank as they head toward the Syrian-Lebanese border following clashes with Lebanese soldiers and armed groups, in Qusayr, Syria, March 17, 2025.

REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Fighting erupted across the border that separates Syria and Lebanon over the weekend.

Bottles of Champagne are seen on display for sale in a wine shop in Paris, France, on March 13, 2025.
REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

European leaders caught between the rock of needing Donald Trump to help bring an end to the war in Ukraine (while they aim to beef up collective defense) and the hard place of fearing economic contraction from US tariffs are quickly realizing that nobody is having fun anymore.

A coalition of labor unions, political action, and community groups march against DOGE and proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, food assistance, and other vital programs in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025. Some expressed their outrage with Senator Chuck Schumer for voting to advance the Republican funding bill.
Gabriele Holtermann/Sipa USA via Reuters

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met in Brooklyn on Sunday to try to plot a Democratic legislative strategy at a time of deepening divisions within their party. They don’t appear to have found one.