Hot and Frothy Cappuccinos in Moscow Help Russians to Hide

Like an abandoned amusement park, Russia’s economy is beginning to rust

Last night I spent a couple of hours drinking beers with a Ukrainian friend and two of his Russian friends who recently managed to escape Russia when mobilization started.

The guys from Moscow offered up some observations of how Russians are surviving this moment in their history. Some inspired me. Most, they said, were already long over supporting this war. They were sick of it. Nice, I thought, so when do they start to rebel?

The next comment, however, an innocuous one, caught my ear and answered my question: They won’t be rebelling anytime soon.

The cappuccinos and lattes are still hot and frothy, and the cafes are filled like nothing is going on.

This was not what I wanted to hear.

I am not sure what I wanted to hear, maybe that the cappuccinos were watery and the lattes foamless. Perhaps, that the prices were so astronomical that Russians were opting for instant coffee instead?

Nescafe instant coffee, however, isn’t being ordered. Everything in the average cool, fashionably-designed cafes of Moscow and St. Petersburg is pretty much just like it was nine months ago. Maybe…