Journalist Farida Rustamova explains how Russia’s elites went from dreading war to fearing peace

Journalist Farida Rustamova explains how Russia’s elites went from dreading war to fearing peace

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual state-of-the-nation address at the Gostiny Dvor conference center in central Moscow. February 29, 2024. In his 2024 state-of-the-nation address, Vladimir Putin declared that the word “elite” had lost much of its credibility. “Those who have done nothing for society and consider themselves a caste with special rights and privileges […] are definitely not the elite,” he said. “The genuine, real …