For the Putin regime, it is crucial to maintain the illusion of normal life in major cities, to keep movie theaters open and retain Hollywood releases.

That is why today the Russian authorities have allowed all Russian movie theaters to steal American films.

At the same time, the Russian authorities have maintained state funding for domestic film production, while specifically insisting on producing a larger number of patriotic movies.

Russian movie theaters—which did not cease operations after the start of the so-called "special military operation," largely thanks to illegal screenings for which they pay no royalties to copyright holders—have also kept film studios afloat. In turn, those studios are ramping up the production of propaganda content: movies, TV series, and, of course, all those military contract service recruitment ads broadcast on television and city billboards.