Dear Roman

When Russia started its Ukraine War in February, Roman Super, a longtime Russian journalist and documentary filmmaker, began to ask his acquaintances in the media about their personal experiences working in Russia’s propaganda industry. He published some of their responses anonymously on his Telegram channel.

Many described their personal turmoil, whether they continued in their jobs, quit, or were fired over publicly opposing the war. As time went on, Super began to receive a greater variety of messages from all corners of Russian society, effectively a snapshot of the feelings of dissent bubbling across the country, though rarely expressed in public. People opened up, describing their fear, their relationship with pro-war loved ones, their horror and despair over what Putin’s government has done.

We publish some of these messages with permission.