The reality of the Ukraine crisis and President Vladimir Putin's possible hand in it is finally sinking in for many ordinary Russians.

For months, the clashes in Ukraine have had a distant, almost impersonal quality in them. After all, ordinary citizens only saw snippets of what was happening in the news via state-run media agencies. But now, Russians have been forced to ask themselves if they are prepared to make sacrifices in exchange for Putin's war adventures.

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In March, Putin decided to annex Crimea from Ukraine without first consulting the public. Five months later, the Kremlin once again took it upon himself to impose a ban on Western food products after the United States and several European countries issued a sanction on Russia over the Crimea affair.

The ban, which Putin said was "to protect Russia's security," has caused spike in prices among goods and panic buying in supermarkets in Moscow and other cities.

In addition, the Russian government has also made a dent on the national pension fund to finance the development projects for Crimea, according to reports. Then, as a final blow, a Russian tour operator couldn't handle the weight of the Western sanctions and folded, leaving roughly 27,000 Russian travelers stranded in airport terminals.

A spokesman for Russia's Federal Tourism Agency said many are concerned that "there will be a domino effect."

Russian sociologist Lev Gudkov believes ordinary Russians will not stand behind Putin after his Crimea shenanigans, saying that "it's one thing to express support but quite another to suffer for it."

Recent surveys indicated that about two-thirds of Russia's population is placing all responsibility for the Ukraine crisis on Putin and his allies' shoulders.  Meanwhile, about 7 percent to 12 percent of the Russian citizens said they are prepared to make personal sacrifices on behalf of the country, while the rest are taking the "leave me out of it" position, Gudkov said.

The Kremlin might be enjoying a high approval rating at the moment, but Gudkov expects that Putin's ratings will return to what they were in November because what happened in Ukraine and its repercussions were excruciating for many Russians, who feel as if they are "slouching toward a dead end."

TagsNews, World News, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, sanctions against Russia, Russian sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin