Mobilization and losses: war remains the background of life

In 2024, the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022, was still a key factor determining life inside Russia. Military operations, mobilization, defense budgets, casualties, conscription, forms of support - everything is intertwined with everyday life. Many families have lost loved ones; a significant part of the population are those who went to the front. Grief, uncertainty, and fear came to such houses. Those who returned came with traumas and psychological scars. The state tried to maintain the image of a “cohesive society,” but this often hid censorship, pressure, and hushing up problems. Society is divided between those who support and those who doubt. 2024 was the year when war is not an abstraction. These are losses, fates, emptiness in homes, “gray areas” - and the constant expectation of news.