I don't blame the people. They have been oppressed by a thug dictator who completely controls their media and hands control of all major resources to other thugs. Anyone who speaks out is silenced and anyone who fails their great leader quickly finds out how hazardous windows are.

It's the people in their government that need to suffer.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I used to agree with you. But I'm not so naive anymore. The average Russian wants this war. The average Russian thinks the world is bullying them. I propose tossing out the baby with the bathwater on this one. Blame them all, let God sort 'em out.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I see your point of view, and you need to see theirs if you want.

They simply do no know anything other than what they are told by Putin and the rest of his regime. For example, I have seen interviews with random Russians that have no idea why Moscow has been targeted by drone attacks. If you look at it from that perspective, of course the average person wants revenge against Ukraine.

Now, you have the other side of that. You have the people in Russia that do know what is going on with the war, but still believe their local propaganda. Even the propagandists believe their own rhetoric, unfortunately. (I have had conversations with reporters from RT that truly believe that Russian media is the most free media in the world. They themselves don't know any different.)

Don't misunderstand me! You have every right to be pissed off at their entire system and the people who "voted" for it. I am pissed off as well. Their entire system needs to be shaken to its core and their people need to wake up and realize they are the aggressors. To your point, they do actually believe they are the victims and that the west is holding them down. (Putin cries about this in every speech, btw.)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I agree with OP on this one, I blame russians, all of them.

Your argument that they cannot know better due to propaganda might be true now but it doesn’t matter. There wasn’t a magic switch flipped overnight and all russians were brainwashed. They had ample and many opportunities to stop the totalitarian regime. It happened in steps and russians stood by and let it happen.

This is on the whole of russia.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I see both.

The 1420 channel interviews taught me that younger urban russians don't support the war, which makes sense because they're seeing their future slip away from them, but also feel like they have no agency.

The segment that's still gung ho for a neo soviet empire, are the Russian equivalent of American fox news viewers or twitter blueticks.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

@AllahFucksKids @Wilshire @remotelove Absolutely!
1.The average russian has internet access. And the chance to get information aside from state propaganda.
2. Russian state propaganda is so hateful, cynical & nihilistic that everybody with a bit of human feelings is deeply appalled. Why do russians applaud that?
3. Russians who live in the free world do not oppose the war. Nowhere in the world do we see movements of russians against the war. On the contrary, we see aggressive pro-russian demos