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Strict new laws mean those who deviate from the official narrative could face up to 15 years in prison.

In the official media, there's still a reluctance to state there is even a war going on, according to UNSW Honorary Associate Professor Stephen Fortescue.

"It's still described as a special operation," Dr Fortescue told 9news.com.au.

"And it's a special operation to protect those separatist republics of Lugansk and Donetsk."

If you were watching Russian television, you would be under the impression that Russian troops were not fighting on the frontlines.

Instead the Russian army was there to support the separatist fighters.

Bombings and battles in areas like Kyiv and Mariupol are getting little attention on Russian television.

"They get pretty hardcore propaganda which consists of 'The Ukrainian leadership are a bunch of fascists', or the Ukrainian people are under the control of the fascist leadership," Dr Fortescue said.

"There tends to be a little bit of condescension against Ukrainians."

An independent television network and an independent radio station have both shut down in recent weeks.

While many foreign news outlets have been blocked in Russia, the internet is still available.

That means Russians could access more reliable news about the war in Ukraine, but they would need to look for it.

They are some in Russia who are publicly opposed to the war, but there are also many others who are "hardcore patriots", Dr Fortescue said.

"A large percentage of the population in the middle who just don't want to know," he said.

"They just want to get on with their lives."

But the realities of war can't be hidden forever.

Dr Fortescue was living in the USSR the last time the nation engaged in a major war - the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan from 1979 until 1989.

"I worked with ordinary Russian people, and they were really upset their boys were getting killed and they were being lied to," he said.

"Russian authorities went to extraordinary lengths to hide the fact these soldiers were being killed."

Russia 'purposefully and cynically' destroys drama centre in besieged city

As much as polling can be trusted in Russia, it does not appear Vladimir Putin is suffering just yet.

A poll from non-government research organisation Levada-Center showed Mr Putin had an approval rating of 71 percent, his best in four years.

Another poll this week showed 58 percent of Russians approved of the invasion of Ukraine. Only 23 percent opposed it.

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'Special operation': What Russians are being told about the war in Ukraine - 9News