Streisand effect
This admin decision to block the beeb and 'western' social media in Russia will GREATLY improve the 'penetration' of what is happening in Ukraine, across Russian society. In general, they have 'always' been suspicious (perhaps well before 1917) of their rulers, feeling, and rightly so, that they don't treat them as humans, but merely sheep that can be used and abused. And you don't consult your livestock on strategic decisions, the owners know better, thus cesorship / insulation from outside, dissenting views that pollute the mind. So, by default, Russians _always_ compensate for the state that lies to them, they always read between the lines, fill the gaps, to the point that they fill them, even if they're not there. They are told not to worry, everything is great!, and they will immediately translate it as 'we're in _deep_ shit!'. They're told there are no Russian casualties in the peace-keeping mission in Ukraine, and that message alone tells them: our soldiers suffer _serious_ losses, otherwise, why would state media say the losses are minor? They're told 'our brave armed forces have suffered 500 casualties in Ukraine', and they will multiply this x 10, etc (ironically, they might soon be x 20 that). Very soon, there will be Russian mothers asking, quietly, but persistently, why their sons haven't vibed or telegrammed them for two weeks; sure, they were told 'on excercise' so messaging, but now, this 'military operation' that the state tries so hard to hide from them, and they immediately put the 2 and 2 together, it's not like and there's no prior art in recent years, Afghanistan and Chechnya still haunt them, so they will _immediately_ know. And this message, like ripples, _will_ travel. Plus, you can't hide sanctions, can't hide the fact that over 140 countries out of about 180 condemned Russia in the UN, can't hide shortage of cash in atms, hikes of interest rates, doubling prices of spare parts for your car, can't deny multiple denials and reassurances on the trusty state telly channels that tell our dear citizens that everything, EVERYTHING is ABSOLUTELY fine!
Now - the above does not mean that they will stand up to the state, nothing of this sort. I wish they did, but the first, second, third reaction is - keep your head down, go into survival mode, see no evil, hear no evil, perhaps it will somehow (how?!) blow over and it won't hit me directly! This might be incomprehensible to a person in the West used to general freedoms, but if you've lived in a regime that's been tightening their grip over the last 20 years, slowly, but steadily, and with no realistic chance to jump the ship... you keep their head down :(