Comments by "XSportSeeker" (@XSpImmaLion) on "Russia Invades Russia: What Just Happened in Belgorod?" video.

  1. This has always been, and will increasingly become the biggest problem for Putin - Russians themselves. See, if this was North Korea, then perhaps the government would be more shielded, because of how much investment was put into complete isolation from the rest of the world and total indoctrination and brainwashing of the population... years living in those conditions means the population in North Korea should mostly be seen as members of a huge cult. And even then, when you heard testimonials from defectors, you see that even in those conditions some people have to clarity to understand what is going on. In Russia, the state just does not have this level of control on the minds of citizens. Yes, there are certainly lots of Putin radicals, nationalists and whatnot, but we've been watching as many Russians fled the country when conscription came about, we saw protests sparking out even when they were guaranteed to get arrested, and we know there is resistance there. Popularity pools manipulated by an authoritarian government should not be taken very seriously for obvious reasons, I personally think there are tons and tons more Russians who say they support Putin but actually understand what is going on, and a good portion of those are likely working together in some capacity to overthrow the regime. Make things worse, Ukrainians are like the second largest group of immigrants inside Russia, and Russian soldiers have been dying in droves in a war that it doesn't take much for parents, relatives and friends of these soldiers to realize it was an unnecessary, illegal, and coward attempt to invade the neighboring nation to take over territory that isn't theirs by right. Resentment of having your family and friends killed in a war mandated by an authoritarian dictator will run deep into these peoples' minds for the rest of their lives. The thing is, we are all human. I bet almost any nation in the world, if a dictator came to power and started doing stuff like what Russia is doing, most citizens would behave in a similar way that Russians are doing. We are mostly worried about our immediate surroundings, protecting loved ones, guaranteeing a way of living, and maintaining a way of life. If actual war and destruction doesn't reach people, the vast majority of individuals won't go sacrificing their own lives when they already have a ton of things to worry about in their personal lives. So this strategy is cruel, but pretty apt. This war needs to get personal for as many Russians as possible, or else there will be no change in mentality, awareness, and sense of urgency. It needs to be close enough and damaging enough for people to turn their attentions to the subject, but fair enough that it doesn't turn the perception of Russians who are already against Putin on a justification of Putin's actions. There is a very tenuous balance to maintain there. But I think Zelenskyy is doing a great job on it.
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