evidence: The Prigozhin mutiny offers a vivid illustration of the pitfalls facing anyone trying to figure out what the Russian public actually thinks. But it’s a question that needs answers urgently. Countering the Putin regime and its war against Ukraine will be far harder unless policymakers and strategists can arrive at an accurate understanding of Russian public opinion. [...] The reality, of course, is rather more complicated. That appearance of seamless consensus is enforced by an all-encompassing police state. An immense security apparatus keeps close tabs on everything that Russians say and do. Some of Putin’s most prominent critics, such as Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin, are serving eye-watering prison sentences for (among other things) allegedly spreading "false information" about the Russian military and the war. Leading dissident Alexei Navalny, another famous anti-war activist, recently died in prison under unclear circumstances. Shortly thereafter, his aide Leonid Volkov, living in exile in Lithuania, was viciously attacked by a hammer-wielding assailant. [...] One thing is for sure, though: When someone tells you that Russians are united and uniform in their views, don’t take them at their word. Figuring out what’s really going on inside those heads won’t be easy. But we’ve got to keep trying.