The war in Ukraine represents a significant turning point in the evolution of Russia’s foreign policy expert community. This essay examines how Russian experts perceive the war and its consequences, taking into consideration the influence of state censorship and repression on their practices. It explores the limited ability of experts to shape Russia’s conduct of war and the moral choices they face in Putin’s Russia. Drawing on the notion of boundary zones, I note the historical evolution of the expert community as a hybrid entity that bridges state and society, and analyse the varied reactions among experts to the war using Hirschman’s framework of exit, voice, and loyalty. I conclude that loyalty to the political regime has become crucial for voicing critique within the shrinking space of legitimate political discourse.

乌克兰战争是俄罗斯外交政策专家界演变的一个重要转折点。本文探讨了俄罗斯专家如何看待这场战争及其后果，同时考虑到国家审查和镇压对其实践的影响。它探讨了专家塑造俄罗斯战争行为的有限能力以及他们在普京领导下的俄罗斯面临的道德选择。借鉴边界区域的概念，我注意到专家群体作为连接国家和社会的混合实体的历史演变，并使用赫希曼的退出、声音和忠诚框架分析了专家对战争的不同反应。我的结论是，在合法政治话语空间不断缩小的情况下，对政治政权的忠诚对于表达批评至关重要。