I just need to get this off my chest.
I live in Russia. Yes, it’s awful. Yes, my country has invaded another nation’s territory, and I don’t support it. I’d leave if I could. But sometimes I have to ask: why do so many people abroad lump ordinary citizens in with war criminals? Most of us can’t do a damn thing to stop it. The majority are swallowed up by state propaganda, and the minority who do see clearly are easily crushed—they’d just throw everyone in prison. I was 19 when the war started? No, I was 15. What exactly was I supposed to do at that age? And even now—sure, I can vote, but our elections might as well be North Korean. There’s more than one name on the ballot, technically, but that’s about it. Navalny existed, once, and they killed him. The rest are all the same flavor as Putin. So really, the only sensible option is to get out.