"My mother says I am betraying Russia"

Vladimir Putin’s decision to start a war with Russia’s neighbour has seen many Ukrainian families torn apart, as their adult men are forced to stay behind and fight while other members of the family flee the violence.

But Russia has also been experiencing its own family rifts – between those who back the war and those who oppose it. Often, that divide runs along generational lines.

“In broad terms, younger Russians are less likely to have anti-Ukrainian sentiments. We have seen that the anti-war protests have also largely involved younger people,” said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center. “A lot of how you perceive the war depends on where you get your news,” he said. “If you watch television, you are simply more likely to toe the official line. And older people tend to watch more TV.”

In the past, polling has found that television remains the biggest news source for Russians, with more than 60% of the population relying on it for information. Russians over 65 are 51% more likely to watch television than under-25s.