This is an example of the type of compromise that has long been made by some employees of the Kremlin's propaganda machine. These individuals value the steady work and creative challenge, even if they do not agree with the mission of their workplace. Recently, Likin, who had been the art director for Channel 1, a major player in the Kremlin's propaganda apparatus, resigned following President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Likin, who claimed he was not a politician, felt that the invasion aligned him with a "life-exterminating" agenda. He criticized Russian television for catering to those who are too lazy to seek alternative sources of information, lacking education or the habit of analysis. The invasion of Ukraine has prompted some Russians who previously worked for the government to sever ties, indicating the Kremlin's struggle to maintain full societal unity behind the war. There have been numerous arrests and mass exodus from Ukraine in protest of the invasion, with high-profile resignations at Russia's state television channels, including Putin's climate envoy Anatoly Chubais. Marina Ovsyannikova's bold act of protest during a live news broadcast has garnered attention, while others like Zhanna Agalakova have quietly resigned, reflecting the internal turmoil within Putin's system and the significant influence of television on public perception of the war. Many thoughtful individuals are feeling a sense of their own wrongdoing. There is no way out, you see? Merely seeking forgiveness is not sufficient." The Kremlin controls all of Russia's national television networks, and while their impact has decreased with the popularity of YouTube and social media, they remain the primary source of news for the public. According to surveys by the Levada Center, an independent Moscow pollster, around two-thirds of Russians relied on state television for news last year, a decrease from 90% in 2014. Throughout the war, state television channels have presented Russians with a narrative of the conflict that contrasts sharply with what is seen in the West: Russians are portrayed as the heroes, similar to their role in World War II when they fought Nazi Germany and liberated Ukrainian territories from neo-Nazis supported by the dominant West. Images of deceased civilians and destroyed homes are inaccurately labeled as either fabricated or the result of Ukrainians bombing their own areas. According to a Channel 1 reporter in Mariupol, some locals claim that the Ukrainian military is intentionally targeting residential buildings, while others believe that nationalists were instructed to inflict maximum damage on the city before retreating. Pollsters suggest that many Russians believe the narrative presented on their television, which portrays the war as a continuation of longstanding animosity and grievances towards the West. Despite this, most state television journalists have remained in their positions, intensifying the message of Russia fighting for its survival. Liliya Gildeyeva, a former anchor at NTV, admitted that she had compromised her principles before realizing the extent of her actions only after the war had begun. She mentioned that when one starts to give in to oneself slowly, they may not realize how far they have fallen. The shock of the war has caused a significant number of Russians to leave the country in recent weeks, flying to destinations such as Turkey and Armenia. Among those leaving are journalists, activists, tech workers, and young professionals who no longer see a future for themselves in Russia. Even some members of Russia's elite, like Chubais, the Kremlin's climate envoy, have left the country due to the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin confirmed that Chubais had resigned. He was considered one of the few officials with liberal views left in Putin's government, and his key role in the economic reforms of the 1990s in Moscow made him unpopular among many Russians. It is uncertain whether the dissatisfaction among some of the elite could pose a threat to Putin's government. Likin, the former art director of Channel 1, believed that those who were willing to step down based on their principles were a small minority in Russian society. Agalakova, the former correspondent of Channel 1, commented that many of her former colleagues who chose to stay did not work for a specific cause. People who leave their jobs at state television, especially those who speak out, face an uncertain future as they have families, loans, and a need to survive. Agalakova, who was a correspondent based in Paris, mentioned that some of her acquaintances stopped speaking to her after she quit. Likin, on the other hand, plans to continue his career as an architect in Russia and may consider returning to television if it changes its agenda. Government-sponsored polls suggest that most Russians support Putin's invasion, but analysts warn that people may not answer surveys truthfully during wartime. Agalakova now realizes that years of propaganda on Russian television have influenced public opinion and support for the current Kremlin policies by distorting the memory of the country's World War II sacrifices. Agalakova stated that the mention of Nazism in relation to Ukraine causes an immediate reaction in society, due to the Kremlin's false claims about Russia fighting Nazis in Ukraine. She described this as a shameless and fraudulent game. As propaganda continues, Russians who are skeptical of television have fewer sources for accurate news. The Echo of Moscow radio station and TV Rain television channel have been shut down, and access to Facebook and Instagram has been blocked. Additionally, journalist Alexander Nevzorov is under criminal investigation for posting about the Russian bombing of Mariupol on his Instagram page. The most recent attempt to instill fear in critics of the war involved promoting a new law that could result in up to 15 years in prison for going against the official narrative of the conflict in Ukraine. Denis Volkov, from the Levada polling center, believes that the true test of Russian public opinion will come once the economic hardships caused by Western sanctions start affecting society. Despite this, Volkov thinks that the Kremlin's narrative of the West undermining Ukraine to harm Russia, and Russia bravely protecting its people abroad, has become deeply ingrained in the minds of television viewers and is unlikely to change soon. Many Russians tend to accept news that aligns with the television narrative and reject anything that doesn't, regardless of its truthfulness.