Russians have been cut off from an alternative view of the situation: ALL opposition media have been blocked on the Internet and their broadcasting licenses have been revoked. Only propaganda media with the position that
1. There is no war, there is a special operation.
2. The special operation is carried out to help eliminate the Nazis in Donbass, who tortured eastern Ukrainians for 8 years
It's hard to step into the shoes of the average Russian when you have access to information. Truth be told, access to alternative media began to end more than 10 years ago, and has only accelerated over time.
The majority in any country always consumes the mainstream media available in that country. In Russia, there is only one point of view to choose from.
Only 10-30% of the population knows how to bypass blockages and know where to look for information.
In Russia even obfs4 not work properly. Today is working tomorrow you request a new bridges and it is not working too. After 30 attempt it work or loads very slow. You must be really persistent and a little tech-savvy to make something work. I was almost desperate but I got lucky. Its not just install a proxy extension.
A few important things to understand why pressure on Putin is impossible from inside the country and will only lead to deaths inside and outside. Canceling of ordinary people only creates more suffering.
1. In Belarus (a Russian-speaking country, a former Soviet Union country, very similar to Russia and an ally of Russia) - they could not oust Lukashenko even by staging huge demonstrations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020%E2%80%932021_Belarusian_p... . Around 150000-250000 at demonstration in the capital https://static.dw.com/image/55155947_401.jpg. Many were brutally beaten, tortured in detention centers, massively held in small rooms, beaten in police cars even those who were just walking by. IT DIDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING. Lukashenko is still in power, although a year ago it seemed to many that the tyrant had been overthrown. Many oppositioners were forced to flee the country under threat of death, disability, rape, or the removal of their children. Russia is a tougher system and is run by a KGB professional.
How it starts: "Learn from the Belarusians to defend democracy": what the Western press says about the protests, Lukashenko and Putin" https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-53802878
2. The times have changed. Russia has studied the experience and methodology of overthrowing governments. There is an emphasis on the security forces. You will not get past them. They will be supplied even if ordinary people starve to death. They will get their heads bashed in and write it off as an attack on the police. There is active monitoring and opposition on the internet. People on reddit are now complaining that their accounts and channels are being blocked for supporting Ukraine. Do I need to explain how much of the suppression of protests is INSIDE RUSSIA when Russia easily censors Western media and Western bloggers through bots? The people couldn't even overthrow Maduro, and the Russian authorities have a full picture of what is going on and what threatens her internally.
3. The pressure inside the elites is impossible because they are all under sanctions. Many of them have their assets frozen, they are also banned from entering the EU and the USA.
4. Russia has a huge history of concentration camps and torture. Last year there was a huge leak of rape torture archives. Protesters going to rallies are sometimes not just beaten, but are put in jail for several years in general.
5. Navalny, the country's main opposition figure, has been jailed and is likely to get more time in prison. He will probably be in jail at least until 2030-2034. He also thought it was enough not to be afraid and returned to the country after the poisoning. Now he is being psychologically tortured in prison.
6. Many people really can't leave the country. According to sociologists' calculations - more than half of young people dream of emigrating.
1. There is no war, there is a special operation. 2. The special operation is carried out to help eliminate the Nazis in Donbass, who tortured eastern Ukrainians for 8 years
It's hard to step into the shoes of the average Russian when you have access to information. Truth be told, access to alternative media began to end more than 10 years ago, and has only accelerated over time.
The majority in any country always consumes the mainstream media available in that country. In Russia, there is only one point of view to choose from.
Only 10-30% of the population knows how to bypass blockages and know where to look for information.