In 1990 in Pushkin Square in Moscow, 30,000 people queued for hours for a taste of the West.

The first McDonald's had arrived in Russia, sweeping the iron curtain aside with big

macks and milkshakes. But yesterday, branches of McDonald's across Russia had shut up shop

again. Ever since Putin began his invasion of Ukraine, life in Russia has changed dramatically.

The Russian economy is set for a free fall. Today, all Russians work up to the announcement by visa

in Moscow that their cards won't be illegal in Russia very soon.

Stores are shutting the Moscow Stock Exchange suspended trading for another day.

The ruble is in free fall. The economy is shrinking, and Western brands and companies have pulled out.

And now, voices that don't support the war are being silenced.

Russians who are brave enough to protest on the streets are being arrested,

while others are leaving the country on mass.

I'm going to, I don't know, run somewhere between the borders or I'm going to figure out somehow,

how to go away. I feel that there won't be any happiness in Russian federation for a long time.

You're listening to stories of our times from the times and the Sunday times.

I'm Manvin Rana. Today, the view from Russia.

My name is Asya Phukes. I'm a producer for Stories of Our Times.

I was born in Russia, but I grew up in the States. When the war broke out, my Facebook and

Instagram feed were full of Russians saying the same thing.

Now, these posts condemning the war, I have to admit, aren't representative of all

Russians who broadly support the regime.

It was a few days of just walking around in a stupor, working on the podcast about the war,

listening to the news about the war, seemingly endless non-stop conversations with

...