Don’t forget, it’s not only putin, it also at least a strong majority of russian society (if not an absolute majority) that support genocidal imperialism.
When that view is the only thing projected to you your whole life, you will believe it.
It’s a sad state of affairs.
I disagree. You are infantilizing the russian population.
Russia has been involved in genocidal imperialism even before putin (Moldova, Chechnya, Georgia, mercantile involvement in Nagorno Karabakh - all this happened in the 90s).
In the 90s, TV stations were openly critical of the government, yet putin was elected again in 2004 even though he shut down much of the mass market independent press.
Since ~2010, most major European news agencies (DW, BBC) launched russian language YT services. The rise of smartphones and lack of YT censorship meant that almost everyone had access to independent news in a few clicks. They could even access local independent-leaning news services (TV Dozhd also launched their YT channel around ~2010).
Russian genocidal imperialism and authoritarianism is a direct product of the choices russians make. There is nothing inherent to the russian population/culture that stops them from showing humanity. They just don’t want to.
They need to realize that they hold responsibility for their actions and that no one is buying their victimhood polemics.
Russia’s been an imperialist culture for centuries. They’ve never gotten over it.
