I’m so tired of hearing this, can we stop with the “poor Russians under the tsar” narrative?
When Ukrainians got pushed towards the russian empire by their aspiring dictator they did Euromaidan, they got shot at and bravely pushed on, and have been fighting for their freedom ever since. They get to complain about Putin, and they get my sympathy for their suffering.
Russians have completely given up their agency, a couple of arrests and beatdowns by the police were enough to pacify them. I don’t see any protests or rallies anymore, I don’t hear about any partisans. Those in favour of the war have no sympathy from me. Those who are against it but kept silent because they chose a 0.5% chance of getting shelled in Ukraine over a 100% chance of getting arrested have no sympathy from me either.
To the dead Russian who “didn’t want to be involved”: cry me a river, you had your chance to not be involved. You get what you chose. Good riddance.
I don’t understand, were you talking about me there?
I do not support this war in the slightest. Russia should not have started it, it was an idiotic mistake to start it and it is an astonishingly stupid mistake to continue it. If I could snap my fingers and let the war be over I would do it, I’d give a lung for the war to be over.
That does not mean I want Ukraine to fold. I want a just and durable peace, I want the peace that Ukrainians want. Unfortunately, the only way to achieve that is to keep fighting - so while I do not support the war, I support Ukraine’s resistance. As long as they will want to fight they will have my support - moral, political and economic.
And on this very rare occasion where history gives us a war with a clear aggressor and a clear victim, I have no sympathy for the aggressor and its personnel. May they all die.
I get the sentiment that the Russian people are responsible for their government. But repression in Russia goes far beyond “a couple of arrests and beatdowns” - they are openly killing people, torturing them, putting them in labor camps and throwing them behind bars for years or decades for very minor stuff.
Yes, it’s not easy being a dissident in Russia and many chose the easy way out by leaving the country. No judgement there. But if you stayed and you kept quiet you are responsible for what is happening.
Let me be absolutely clear: Putin is allowed to be a dictator because people chose to be “uninterested in politics”. Those who chose to not get involved politically are not the result of the oppression but the cause. Ask anybody who knows anything about the Russian people.
And yes I know repression is hard. But as I was saying, when Ukrainians faced a similar problem they went to the street and rallied, staring at death in the face. They fought for freedom ten years ago and are still doing it. Russians did nothing of the sort.
As an Italian I have no problem admitting that all those who did not side with the partisans - my family included - were responsible for the atrocities that my country committed. I don’t see why I should hold Russians to a higher standard.
I’m so tired of hearing this, can we stop with the “poor Russians under the tsar” narrative?
When Ukrainians got pushed towards the russian empire by their aspiring dictator they did Euromaidan, they got shot at and bravely pushed on, and have been fighting for their freedom ever since. They get to complain about Putin, and they get my sympathy for their suffering.
Russians have completely given up their agency, a couple of arrests and beatdowns by the police were enough to pacify them. I don’t see any protests or rallies anymore, I don’t hear about any partisans. Those in favour of the war have no sympathy from me. Those who are against it but kept silent because they chose a 0.5% chance of getting shelled in Ukraine over a 100% chance of getting arrested have no sympathy from me either.
To the dead Russian who “didn’t want to be involved”: cry me a river, you had your chance to not be involved. You get what you chose. Good riddance.
Leave it to the chickenhawks to make big, sweeping statements in support of a war they’ll never have to fight themselves.
I don’t understand, were you talking about me there?
I do not support this war in the slightest. Russia should not have started it, it was an idiotic mistake to start it and it is an astonishingly stupid mistake to continue it. If I could snap my fingers and let the war be over I would do it, I’d give a lung for the war to be over.
That does not mean I want Ukraine to fold. I want a just and durable peace, I want the peace that Ukrainians want. Unfortunately, the only way to achieve that is to keep fighting - so while I do not support the war, I support Ukraine’s resistance. As long as they will want to fight they will have my support - moral, political and economic.
And on this very rare occasion where history gives us a war with a clear aggressor and a clear victim, I have no sympathy for the aggressor and its personnel. May they all die.
Hope I made my position clearer, “chickenhawk”.
I get the sentiment that the Russian people are responsible for their government. But repression in Russia goes far beyond “a couple of arrests and beatdowns” - they are openly killing people, torturing them, putting them in labor camps and throwing them behind bars for years or decades for very minor stuff.
I would guess most of them being shipped out also don’t have many of the facts about the invasion, the reason for it, or how it’s been going.
You are right, and that is part of the problem.
Yes, it’s not easy being a dissident in Russia and many chose the easy way out by leaving the country. No judgement there. But if you stayed and you kept quiet you are responsible for what is happening.
Let me be absolutely clear: Putin is allowed to be a dictator because people chose to be “uninterested in politics”. Those who chose to not get involved politically are not the result of the oppression but the cause. Ask anybody who knows anything about the Russian people.
And yes I know repression is hard. But as I was saying, when Ukrainians faced a similar problem they went to the street and rallied, staring at death in the face. They fought for freedom ten years ago and are still doing it. Russians did nothing of the sort.
As an Italian I have no problem admitting that all those who did not side with the partisans - my family included - were responsible for the atrocities that my country committed. I don’t see why I should hold Russians to a higher standard.