The feelings of Russians may be muted because of its autocratic Presidency, but the facts of life cannot but speak out as a witness of the brutality of its regime.
As rites of passage go, funerals are becoming a newsworthy spot for the nations’ regions.
It’s not as if every Russian family has rights to this exclusive treatment, but the empty chairs and emptier hearts still speak toward a brutal reality behind the rigid lines of the Eurasian republic.
Putin’s war is grinding on and creating heartbreak in every corner of the country.
He seems resolute but troubled fever spots have erupted as calm gives way to fury at the slow progress of the invasion.
Russia isn’t a side that backs down easily and patience has to run on for long periods of time.
But the rising death toll and unlikelihood of a breakthrough anytime soon leads parents and siblings to wonder if their loved one is next.