The Riddle of Why Russians Don't Protest

[@VladVexler]

WATCH NEXT Why Russians Rejected Freedom (Gorbachev) kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHbdZompi7GjatU Putin's Partial Mobilisation (it's disastrous) kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqPEp4ePiK6Jq5Y MORE TO WATCH The REAL meaning of the killing of Dugin's daughter kzbin.info/www/bejne/r169nGqBbrqhaLc Why Putin Became A Killer kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4S4m6R_q7uNfrs The Postmodern Hell Of Russian Propaganda kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZuZh5ptrrGra5Y Why the Crimea Bridge Attack Shows Putin's Decline kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJfdgnl5n6mDiZI THIS explains why Russia starts insane wars kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGe4mniOp7ulrMk Why All Russians Are Complicit In Putin’s Evil kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmLTgJSeppmHec0 CHAPTERS 00:00 Radical apathy in a decaying empire 03:14 Stalin and amnesia 05:09 Postmodernist denial about the past 08:43 Putin's deal with Russians 10:48 Russians who reject Putin's deal 12:05 Technocrats and the political elite 14:12 Putin's fragile tyranny 15:12 Fear You can now support Vlad's work on Patreon! www.patreon.com/vladvexler Support Vlad via PayPal www.paypal.com/paypalme/vladvexler?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB

[@thomasjamison2050]

Ukrainians and Russians share a great deal of the same history and experience. What was it that made the difference in Ukraine that allowed the public to avoid falling into the same apathy trap? What was the mechanism at work and how did it function to make the change?

[@michalelwartowski3424]

@@thomasjamison2050 Polish illness as ruSSians call it. The window to the west and a slavic neighbour in which garden they could observe more 'normal' world.

[@AM-kz3ep]

i am russian and i never supported this dictator and against the war! stop promoting that we are stupid and dont understand whats going on. it s a dictatorship and you simply cannot protest because you ended up in a jail and lots of people have families. WE JUST DONT KNOW HOW TO STOP IT AND PROTEST WONT WORK!

[@MrDICKHEAD28]

IF NATO DISSOLVED IN THE 90'S UKRAINE WOULD OF STILL HAVE CRIMEA AND ALL THESE FROZEN CONFLICTS WON'T HAVE HAPPENED INSTEAD AMERICA CHOSE TO KEEP THE COLD WAR GOING

[@7177YT]

Thank you for your videos, they give much food for thought! And yah that peculiar kind of willful indifference towards politics and sentimental fondness for soviet greatness are difficult to overlook for foreign visitors. Another thing that's a perennial source of wonder is that baffling capacity for casual cruelty towards anyone not considered part of the immediate tribe, incongruently balanced with erratic generosity and hospitality. The 'russian soul' if you will appears as complicated and paradoxical as the russian language for outsiders looking in.

[@Starpommm]

Here in Russia we have a joke that perfectly describes our attitude to life: - Son, vodka prices have risen! - Will you drink less, daddy? - No son, you will eat less!

[@mishterkhalid3117]

why would Russians protest against Putin? Putin is not a pain in the ass for Russians, Putin is a pain in the ass for western leaders. Putin brought Russia into stability in the 2000s after the humanitarian crisis of the 90s. why would Russians protest against the government that have brought relative prosperity?

[@boris_kis_kis]

"The fear that if you act you'll be jailed or killed fruitlessly without changing anything..." Well, yes. This is sad reality in my country right now.

[@Yuki_Ika7]

Sorry to hear that, I hope things get better wherever you are

[@dindon2985]

So going to jail for russians is worse then to invade,occupy Ukraine,kill innocent civilians,children and elderlies,level entire cities with people living there?No,you just obediently following the tsar's orders like slaves,your country is a land of slaves, land of masters,as Lermontov(russian poet) once wrote

[@y9807047]

It is Russia. It will only get worse:/

[@aliseclarke7197]

Давайте будем честными: никакого отношения к страху это не имеет, большинство действительно поддерживает нынешнюю политику правительства РФ, в особенности поколение 35+, а это как-никак костяк экономики. Малолетние либералы, настроенные на смену курса - это 2-3% от силы, ну, конечно, если вы сидите в твиттерских раковальнях вам может казаться, что вы подавляющее большинство, но в действительности все наоборот. И да, вы же за демократию ратуете, а демократия - это мнение большинства. И сносить власть из-за нескольких истеричек никто не будет, так ведь? Или демократия - это власть демократов?

[@gringo6362]

​@@aliseclarke7197 а ты за кого?

[@KingsandGenerals]

That is an excellent way of looking at this, I haven't thought about it. Obviously, we all know that the "social contract" in Russia is that "don't get involved into politics, don't stop us from stealing and you will be ok" and it obviously leads to atomization, but the points about "not understanding their borders" and "no difference between Kharkiv and Voronezh" are much deeper. Thank you!

[@VladVexler]

My pleasure! The atomisation in that society is stunning.

[@AM-kz3ep]

@@VladVexler i am russian and i never supported this dictator and against the war! stop promoting that we are stupid and dont understand whats going on. it s a dictatorship and you simply cannot protest because you ended up in a jail and lots of people have families. WE JUST DONT KNOW HOW TO STOP IT AND PROTEST WONT WORK!

[@AM-kz3ep]

@@VladVexler bullshit! i know the difference between kharkiv and voronezh even i am from asian part of russia

[@lucasrodillo6739]

@@AM-kz3ep tell us, then.

[@doyouwanttogivemelekiss3097]

I'd argue that the not understanding borders is sometimes also relevant for supranational entities like the EU - and I say this as someone who in general has sympathies for the EU and its projects.

[@MrFiremagnet]

Great video. I think I have to say that Anti-Putin part of the population feels just hopeless. They protested and only got beaten up and locked up in prisons, they tried to change things by protest voting, they did everything they could, but it didn't help to prevent the war. Many of them were struck with an enormous feeling of guilt, and some of them are basically in a catatonic state, while others feel like they are done with Russia and just leave the country.

[@Dostav]

Are you yourself from Russia, because that's very correct statement? I even don't know what exactly could give me or us hope to stand up again, the state is just too strong. And I haven't heard many people that were actually talking about sense of guilt. This guilt... it is too hard to bear. It's like you/us could do something, but at the same time it feels like we couldn't do anything... The war also added another ton on the shoulders. I were thinking that maybe now my friends and family would wake up, but no. Before the war they were apathetic, now they are apathetic and hopeless just like me...

[@MrFiremagnet]

@@Dostav yes, I am from Russia as well.

[@Dostav]

@ー Why would you associate Russia with Putin? Do you associate Germany with Hitler? Do you think Germany should have been destroyed? What a nonsense. If you with to destroy Russia, then come and fight. Such thoughts would only lead to much bigger war, in which maybe even I, being in opposition to my government, would support it to just save this goddamn country.

[@Dostav]

@ー Well, this Putin's patriotism was always like necrophilia, because of endless hailing of WWII dead soldiers and veterans. But I don't understand about what commies you're talking about. Putin is a commie, yes, who else though? And what massacre? Don't exaggerate the situation like that, Putin is a ruthless dictator, but not a madman.

[@Dostav]

@ー Madmen don't rule that long, he's surely in his mind.

[@APlusRussian]

Finally a deep dive on the pervasive _generational_ apathy the world has come to know my people for 👏

[@VladVexler]

Thank you dear you, a medium deep dive!

[@AndreasDelleske]

Without belittling the catastrophic war in Ukraine, the world is relaxing in the exact same apathy about climate desaster and growth ideology on a limited Earth. We just don't seem to care. We don't even stop flying for five minutes. Our brains are on unstoppable autopilot. We have not awoken to being world citizens. We are unattended, unloved children sitting in their soiled sandboxes and there is no god taking care of us, freedom and responsability are DIY.

[@yglnvbrs]

It’s not. It’s the point of view of Russian liberals that ignores “strong points” of this regime’s narrative. Nato expansion is arguably a real threat to Russia and definitely is perceived as a real threat by many people and they don’t feel as if anyone except for putin cares about their, paranoid or not, concerns about their security. Those people are naturally more prone to serve in the military/police/government so this sentiment of “yes it’s corrupt, yes it’s tyrannical, yes it hurts our development, but being conquered is much worse” is much more present by people working in those fields.

[@octavianpopescu4776]

I always thought Russians were more like my Romanians, except on a larger scale. One of our most important folk poems is about a shepherd who when one of his sheep tells him 2 guys want to kill him, he just tells the the sheep his last will and testament. At no point does he try to prevent his death or fight back. I mean, we can take a lot of crap just shrugging, it's the Eastern way, including death and suffering, but damn... that's some next level apathy.

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

@@octavianpopescu4776 There is acceptance, then there is pretending you’re an ostrich. It seems there are those in Russia who don’t know the difference. I was always taught that you accept what you cannot change, and ONLY what you cannot change. You know… accept things like gravity and the sun coming up in the east. Everything else is fair game. But then, I’m a silly American, what do I know?🐝🤗❤️

[@desmondmailswhite8023]

"if you act, you will be jailed or killed fruitlessly, without changing anything" - right on the spot, that what I was telling my ukranian friends when the war started. We, opposition, now literally have one chance to protest before meet the Navalny's fate, or Dadin's fate, or Kamardin's fate, and I don't want to waste my life on nothing, when Putin's rating still on high. Sorry, if it's too selfish.

[@meaghanmorriseau5565]

If everyone thought like you do, this world would have been a lot worse place to live in. It's people like you that make people like Putin come to power.

[@Abdubda]

@@meaghanmorriseau5565 "It's people like you that make people like Putin come to power.' - you completely don't understand Russian regime and more over you don't even watched Vlad's video

[@desmondmailswhite8023]

@@meaghanmorriseau5565 I was participating in protests from 2011 to 2021, where it was somewhat safe. Not completely safe, but enough. It was pretty useless before, but now it is just a complete suicide. Putin is ready to kill to stay in power, and he is ready to kill a lot.

[@user-oe2ti1fb8r]

Russians who want to fight Putin need to support Ukraine.

[@xfom4008]

@@meaghanmorriseau5565 Protests are a prisoners dilemma situation - it doesnt make sense to join them until enough people do so before you and your chances are good or until you have nothing left to lose. Its easier to grow a protest from a million people on the streets with sticks and tear gas to a 2 million with molotovs than it is to grow a one person protest into a two person protest.

[@alexr1637]

Ну да, примерно все так и есть. "Не лезь к нам и мы не полезем к тебе". "Уж лучше это, чем 90ые". "Сталина на вас нет". "Раньше вот империя была, а потом американцы союз развалили". Да и про страх еще такой момент, что законы так скручены, что потенциально сесть может каждый. Как в анекдоте: парень вышел на площадь, крикнул "нет нацизму" и получил месяц ареста и штраф за дискредитацию вооруженных сил. А крикнул бы "да нацизму" получил бы месяц ареста и штраф за реабилитацию нацизма.

[@BambiTrout]

It almost feels like a national trauma response, like when so much shit happens to you that you just almost shut down and accept it. "This is how things are, this is how things have always been, and there's nothing I can do to change it, so why bother? The players might change but the game stays the same. It's safer to just go with it.". It also feels VERY feudal in nature.

[@fgjjdgb3949]

A correct guess, but feudalism is not entirely true.

[@maxredjasper55]

I actually agree with the feudalism part, but it's mixed with meritocracy-aka loyalty and worth to Putin. Russia's had extreme upheaval in the past century. Lenin was arguably alright (depending on who you ask), but Stalin gave the entire nation some pretty major trauma and even Krushchev couldn't fix it all. Then their country collapsed, adding to the national trauma bank. I think you're right on to the Russians have trauma reposnses.

[@wa1ufo]

I believe that you are right on target. I have positive feelings for the Russian people and hope that someday things will get better for them.

[@mishterkhalid3117]

why would Russians protest against Putin? Putin is not a pain in the ass for Russians, Putin is a pain in the ass for western leaders. Putin brought Russia into stability in the 2000s after the humanitarian crisis of the 90s. why would Russians protest against the government that have brought relative prosperity?

[@miguelarribas9990]

I remember talking with some russian friends, in Moskow, about the past, specifically the Spanish Civil War and WWII, about 15 years ago. And when I talked about the value of archives and documents, and what we could learn comparing them to propaganda of the same years, they dismissed me as a 'legalist'. They placed no trust in papers, in documents, in hard evidence that can be found along many official government and private archives. Not that they doubted the truthfulness of some of that evidence (papers can be manipulated, after all), they doubted the whole concept of historical research, and claimed that the truth cannot be known.

[@royfearn4345]

Truth cannot be known if you do not want to know the truth.

[@Slavdya]

Everything is simple. Russians cannot believe that everything around them is a 100% lie. They need a more sophisticated concept that allows them to close their eyes to their lives. This concept is nihilism. Nihilism is the basis of what it means to be Russian.

[@meatrealwishes]

Historical research is troubling in some countries that have far left/right governments. They discourage truths but encourage conspiracy theories and revision of the history. Putin has enforced that. I guess That’s why, russians are prone to choosing skepticism. Iraq is another country notorious for conspiracy theories and revisions. You have to be very careful with what history they feed you.

[@christianevanherck6023]

They don't want to know the truth because they don't understand how to live in that reality.

[@Are_you_eyeballing_me]

Yup, that comes from a few facets of russian political culture. One of them is the extreme historical opaqueness of russian political system and decision making process. There is a deep conviction among russians, often a justified one, that the internal discourse of political elites differs drastically from the dicrouse that is being transmitted by elites to the public. This fosters a very conspiratorial kind of mindset, which the propaganda and the leadership is very eager to capitalize on because it reduces the willingness and capacity of citizens for political participation. It creates a sort of ezoteric view of political process, where an attempt to makes sense of it from the outside is doomed to failure because it requires access to "sacred knowledge" which only the leadership has. For people who are in opposition to the current regime this kind of epistemiological climate, along with other "insentives", leads them to withdraw from politics. For "inert" people it creates a very paternalistic perception of the elites: "they know better, who am I to question them". Russian government ever since Soviet Union has gotten extremely proficient at obfuscation, at creating as many barriers as possible for the participation in political discorse, by shrouding every possible topic of this discourse in layers of lies, manipulation, conspiracies, myth, appeals to identity, simulacrums and vapid symbolism.

[@the_mad_fool]

Every time you talk about this, I am reminded of China. The Chinese citizenry are in a very similar sort of apathetic fog, having been made essentially the same deal as Putin did: private prosperity in exchange for public freedom. Lately I've seen many of my relatives start waking up from this, as COVID ravages the country and the economy starts fraying.

[@southend26]

The deal in the US tends this way too. I wish peace and freedom weren't so difficult to manage, but if you take it for granted people like Putin, Xi, and Clinton/Trump will manage it for you and leave the World wrecked.

[@the_mad_fool]

@Seaworth I think for most Westerners it is. I once told one of my law profs about some particularly oppressive elements of Chinese law (specifically the hukou system), and he kind of gave me this look and went "Don't people get tired of this?" There's this enduring myth in the West that oppression inevitably leads to rebellion, that the yearning for freedom is an inherent quality of all Human nature. They don't realize that it's a cultural and historical anomaly, and most societies have not historically worked that way. On top of that, I think most Westerners don't fully appreciate the depths, the acres of how oppressive a state can really be. The same way the Chinese often have no comprehension of just how free and transparent American society actually is.

[@joshuacampbell1625]

@@southend26 could be wrong, but I feel broadly in America for the politically inclined the deal is: give me your support, and I'll give you a simple narrative to believe in.

[@southend26]

@@joshuacampbell1625 To some extent, I think that's just politics. I was thinking of things like Bush telling everyone to go shopping after 9/11 or the choice to go all volunteers and contractors for the military after Vietnam. Earlier generations were asked to do more directly.

[@Cruisey]

I just posted a similar thing about China: I once (once being the operative word here 😂) went on a date with a Chinese girl, and tried asking her about what it was like living in a one party state. It became immediately apparent that she _really _ didn't want to talk about that subject, and when I nudged her along slightly it seemed as if she didn't really understand what that even meant. She was an educated and intelligent young woman and so I was shocked at just how lost she was when this subject came up. Sounds like Russia has some catching up to do...

[@22Solent]

Vlad, that was so powerful and in a way frightening and comforting because it has answered many of my questions of “why” My heart goes out to all of humanity being caught up in this.

[@VladVexler]

Thank you - and sorry - John !

[@yokozombie]

For me, a Ukrainian, it eye opening *definition* of what I always felt in conversations with distant relatives in russia, or basically any person from there. Thank you very much for the keen and precise analysis. I can only confirm your observations and agree with the analysis.

[@blago998]

So sorry for Ukrainians, from Russia, wish you the victory

[@blago998]

@@ibraalomaar8863 traitors who supports this suicidal war

[@alth000]

@@ibraalomaar8863 in order to betray smth you must swear an oath to smth at first. Like Putin swore an oath to Russian people on the Russian constitution and then betrayed most of the basic points of it. Ordinary citizens usually don't swear on anything.

[@alisamonterey9390]

@@blago998 оставьте себе свои "извинения", свою "дружбу" и свое "родство" с нами. Они слишком дорого нам стоят. Жизней наших женщин и детей. А так, Бог простит, как говорят.

[@vehfrfvb2]

@@alisamonterey9390 nobody said anything about "friendship" or "connection". If anything, they wished victory for Ukraine Also "sorry" doesn't always mean "forgive me", such as in "so sorry for your loss" said to someone who lost their loved one

[@riariaria]

Thank you! This is the best explanation of the Russian mindset that I’ve come across. One thing that struck me and I’d love to hear you comment on is how similar this mindset appears to be with people inside abusive or narcissistic family structures and cults. The pervasive gaslighting, learned helplessness, magical thinking, and the belief that, if you disagree you will be alone, ostracized or shunned all seem very similar.

[@kkpenney444]

Yes, this! As someone who was dumbfounded when Trump was elected in my country I did a deep dive on the characteristics of malignant narcissism and collective narcissism. It's such an easy dynamic to exploit in any society- or family- and I don't believe we'll ever find a way out of it without understanding it first.

[@jcortese3300]

I wish I could upvote this more than once. It's EXACTLY like this.

[@markus717]

RE: "pervasive gaslighting, learned helplessness, magical thinking, and the belief that, if you disagree you will be alone, ostracized or shunned". That's very well said. I coudn't help thinking of the citizens of Gaza under the rule of Hamas (which believes that Israel has not right to exist). Before understanding these concepts, I just coudn't process the interviews I'd seen with seemingly normal citizens of Gaza who, when interviewed about what THEY thought the best solution to the Palestine Problem should be, said, "The Jews should just go back to where they came from." Now I have the words to explain this: "magical thinking". Peace cannot be possible anywhere without realism and truth.

[@lulabell5893]

Exactly this!! The gaslighting/ manipulation is on another level.

[@mountainman8775]

Very good point, there may indeed be strong parallels. I have for many years considered Russia to be one of those countries genuinely on the dark side in this phase, and for the following major reason: in Russia the truth is no longer loved, and the spirit of truth has deserted the nation en masse. This always leads to the very worst things, and I’m not surprised at all that it is Russia in which this pronounced evil is, as a result, rearing it’s head. For a long time I have felt that I have no problem with any country in the world with one exception, Russia, and it is because of this warring attitude to truth. This is the first time I‘ve heard this topic explored and analysed by an intellectual, and I believe it does get to the heart of the matter. Surely there is something similar happening in, as you point out, narcissistic and abusive families, in which a spirit of denial as opposed to truth pervades.

[@GNMbg]

I know this is not supposed to be funny but I laughed out loud at Stalin being a consistent top 4 Champions League performer haha

[@Julia-Richter]

It is absolutely supposed to be funny! I was almost spilling my coffee when he was mentioning Franz Beckenbauer.

[@sontung007]

This is the most intelligent insight about Russian and Russia I have ever seen! Thank you!! The deal between the govt and Russian citizens is a depressing and haunting contract. It’s very similar to the one in China, Vietnam. Oppressed people are used to another oppressions and rather choose comfort than doing what is right. I don’t blame these people because I don’t know if in their situation I would be brave enough to stand up and care about ideals or public good. Thinking about it now, just realized that democracy in the West that we take for granted shouldn’t be taken granted at all!!

[@Fabzil]

The major point about not trying to change things is said at the end of the video : to challenge a whole tyrannic regime by yourself is already a daunting task, but to do so knowing that there is a 99.999999% chance that everything you will do will be useless and that nothing will change is what nails the coffin

[@runoski]

for me, as a russian, its painful to contemplate about the whole situation and how it ended this way

[@wa1ufo]

You and the Russian people have my support!

[@jangronwald40]

To some people it might sound weird but this video brings me to tears. I spent the past 2.5 months in Russia talking to various people and had similar thoughts about their political indifference and apathy that was shared by a random babushka and a respected lawyer in the city alike. I am so moved and grateful that someone gave such an educated and insightful analysis on the problem so big and so misunderstood in the West. Right now Im in a deportation facility in Pskov and my current prison-like life adds a lot of emotion to my impression. Thank you! God bless you!

[@vacafuega]

thanks for commenting, Jan. it makes a lot of sense, what you're feeling and what you're saying. I hope for the best for you!

[@worldoftancraft]

If you can't eve spell bábuška, why you put it into language?

[@jangronwald40]

@worldoftancraft So that those who cant even spell "even" feel humbled.

[@lusciousphilosoph6392]

@@jangronwald40 мужик ( или нет), ты просто соевый куколд. Тебе тестостерон нужен, а не с россиянами общаться

[@mike_oe]

Your'e only 20 clics from Estonia, so start running if you're not actually behind bars!

[@Dubcuajxufbei]

We have similar situation here in China that people are just cynical and apathetic towards politics. But seeing how some brave Russians risking their career/life protesting against the war earlier (which is quite unlikely in China) I think Russia may have a much better chance transitioning into a modern democracy even though both countries have a long long way to go.

[@TheBandit7613]

Yes, you are right. Why don't you take a vacation to the US and seek asylum? Change the course of your family history...

[@TranscenGopher]

Chinese are also protesting, and by Chinese standards they are protesting quite a lot. It's real hard for people of both of those countries to protest anything, and Chinese propaganda and security state is a lot more effective compared to Russia's. People in Russia get jailed for protesting. People in China get their rights restricted because their distant family or a neighbour was acting "inappropriately".

[@z7eleven]

Check Iran for inspiration, those people. are actually protesting. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians were protesting 2 years ago, which gave hope, unfortunately it did not work. China is probably another story, which is scary and sad at the same time. I hope you can get more freedoms and less lock downs, and less imperialistic ambitions. Knowing Xi is there for at least another term, I highly doubt.

[@gregb3457]

@@z7eleven There is always hope. You never can tell what Providence has around the corner. Who saw this coming in Russia/Ukraine? And bipartisan support?

[@z7eleven]

@@gregb3457 True. Bipartisan support is surprisingly good indication of moral. compass still working. When it comes to Ukraine/Russia war, there were many who were expecting this after events of 2014.

[@slog_000]

as a russian student i can say that antiputin part of population is enormous among my peers, were constantly stuck by putins bureaucratic system that has spread in every corner of our life. and, as time goes on all the forces that we invest in the struggle are in vain and it seems that this system is unchangeable no matter what we do. hope you can understand my struggle, sry for bad english

[@normanclatcher]

No English errors detected. Let's all love Lain.

[@sarozhkevich]

same bro. i confirm, supporting putin is considered very lame among 20-year somethings in general. however I ve noticed the rise of young predominantly male people that oppose Putin as well but are prowar and have kinda imperialistic mindset. and depression is real,yes.

[@danlei88]

To be honest I was skeptical that someone on KZbin could actually explain this convincingly. But man you nailed it! This has been something I've spent a lot of time looking into as well and all the facts I was aware of before the video tracked and you got them right. Well researched and you explained it in a way that was easy to follow and understand! Need more people like you in this space and not just hot takes from random "experts".

[@VladVexler]

Thank you!

[@VolSer1993]

@@VladVexler тупейшая пропаганда Запада.

[@jajabez8379]

As a pro-EU Brit experiencing Brexit this has actually helped me understand what's happening here in the UK. Magical thinking about every series of events meaning the British Empire could have imploded in a better way, each version of which becomes an unrealistic version of how Brexit will work.

[@Composer.AnnaGrig]

This is exactly what I tell everyone, but Europeans are too "spoilt" by freedom and security to quite catch on. Russia doesn’t even exist as a society or as a singular country, it can’t do this for the very reasons why there’s so much apathy.

[@stvk99]

what do you mean? it does exist.

[@stvk99]

@@daniltryapchev257 it does. You wrote some BS without any proof.

[@Texas240]

The thing about Stalin is real. I have a Russian friend who said that her grandmother missed the good old days when Stalin was around. Incidentally, my Russian friend fled Donetsk during the 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine and now, after February, considers herself a Ukrainian. Grandmother was killed by "separatist" shelling as they moved toward Donetsk. She refused to leave because "It's my home!"

[@mikhailmyshkin4615]

I'm Russian and into Russian politics for more than a decade. And damn you are precise about everything in this video. Even among Russian opposition do not think as clearly as you do on this topic. You get my subscription immediately

[@TransistorLSD]

Максим Кац говорит те же вещи.

[@albundy124]

@@TransistorLSD и он тоже неправ насчет того, что "восставшее большинство" поменяет ситуацию - ее поменяет раскол в элитах, за которым втч может последовать, а может не последовать восстание большинства

[@TransistorLSD]

@@albundy124 Доминирующее большинство, его мнение, подталкивает элиты к расколу. Не обязательно протесты даже. Важно ощущение того, что большинство против.

[@albundy124]

@@TransistorLSD не, элиты к расколу мнение плебса не подталкивает, элиты раскалываются по иному принципу, и потом уже могут инициировать процессы протестов масс людей - майдан яркий пример именно такой схемы, и в рф тоже может быть задействована лишь она, и в белоруссии

[@TransistorLSD]

@@albundy124 Путин опирается на "мнимую легитимность", полученную именно от плебса. Без этой легитимности от Путина бы уже избавились, уверяю. Потому по этой легитимности бить смысл ЕСТЬ.

[@leuxankowalczek1246]

Wow, what a message. As Russian, I always clearly understood that I can't trust in my randomly taken compatriots (like at rallies or even in local communities) when it comes to struggling for some perceptible results, since they by default have no goal, and those who have also, like me, mistrust strangers. Even if they are not pro-Putin, they normally would only shame cops when I was beaten by them, and the chance is ninety-nine per cent they would ignore when I faced bureaucratic arbitrariness. I also noticed before, in 2018, that Cde. Navalny's goals, no matter how noble they are, are not comparable with potential the President of one of the greatest world powers has. Fighting corruption is not enough deep. Cde. Vexler gathered thoughts that were in my head and, of course, accomplished it with the power of his education. Now I am sure I was right and will never forget those conceptions, forever burnt into my poor, restless memory. As I see, we need new goals and ways and also some groups of passionate people who would fight and proselytize, being professionals and completely trusting inside their communities. Спасибо. Alexander A. Nowak, 22 years

[@mosestheleader25]

the more i watch your videos, the more i realize that i was totally wrong about everything i thought i knew about Russia. it's mind-opening and mindfucking at the same time. even further, it's having an effect on me personally as a citizen. i was always trying to get more and more apathetic in my life and especially in politics. i just wanted to mind my own business because i thought i can't do anything. this war was a rude wake-up call for me and it better be the same for all citizens of the west and democracy. no matter how dirty and retarded state politics seem to be, no matter how polarized it looks, no matter how much the other side pisses you off, you as a citizen MUST participate in it and cooperate to find a solution. because the alternative is the disasterous corpse that is Russia. every democratic citizen is given the priviledge to avoid apathy like the plague in both daily life and especially in politics. do not squander it.

[@ingridschmid1709]

Zombification ?

[@TheRedhatsociety]

Well said!

[@barbaros99]

Like another YTer I watch (Beau of the Fifth Column) says, democracy is advanced citizenship. You do not get to participate in it passively if you also want it to be effective.

[@ingridschmid1709]

@@barbaros99 Decidedly Beau is popular in this community and rightfully so .

[@ireneegarter1132]

You' are absolutely right.

[@johnbwill]

Again, thank you for your important work. The fact that this standard of education is 'free and available to all' - is simply one of the miracles of the modern age. Kudos and respect from Australia Vlad.

[@axeleen]

i’m straight up crying from this video i’m so tired from being russian, from the war and from living among these people who dare to support it as well as this fascist regime… thank you at least for some common sense in my life

[@skylugtransclan5811]

If more Russians like you would cry all at the same time, then maybe You Russians can change Russia for the better, for your children and their children. All the 700K Russian men who escaped Russia, also gave up on the future of Russia. Just think what could happen if all the Russian men stayed in Russia and protest against Putin. Freedom is not cheap and it doesn't come from quietly complaining in your homes.

[@deborahdonnelly8423]

YUP. YOU DO HAVE A FASCIST LEADER IN PUTIN.

[@dukenukem8381]

you were fine in 2008 and 2014 whats wrong now?

[@axeleen]

@@dukenukem8381 who’s saying i was fine with that…? i never was besides, i was 6 in 2008

[@axeleen]

@@deborahdonnelly8423 i know… i literally said that in my comment above

[@bellmarina]

As a russian, I must say this video sums up everything pretty accurately. All I want to add is that to be effective every protest movement needs some structure like political party or smth. Every non-government structure has been prosecuted here for a long time. There’s just nowhere you can unite with people who hate this war and this regime as much as you do, and it makes you feel alone and helpless. And another addition. This stalin-loving-thing is not essential to russian people. Its just an aggressive promotion thats everywhere in the media. There is no discussion about soviet past at all, just praising this great past.

[@noname-qk2ut]

Damn Stalin terror worked so well that it's still working after 70years of his death.

[@Vanalovan]

Something that disturbs me in States is this idea of “politics as entertainment”. I remember watching TimeGhost’s episodes on the rise of Hitler and it was something they mentioned about his speeches too. And then through the Trump years people always emphasized his abilities as an entertainer and his rallies as a festival. I’d love more of a deep dive into this because it seems to be a common theme

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

The US has a very performative, theatrical culture to begin with - so the public has always been prone to manipulation by demagogues and charlatans.

[@Skessu]

That's an interesting thought and I found that quality of Trump rallies etc. to be very much off-putting to me. Somehow that brought to mind Der Sturmer, or "The Stormer" a tabloid ran by Streicher and became important part of Nazi propaganda. I would argue it played a significant role in the rise to power of the party through mobilizing german populace behind nazi ideals or if not just that, make people indifferent to them. It often included disgustingly antisemitic cartoons and had some qualities to it that I think for a lack of a better word be - innovative for its time. Very much fits into that theme of politics turned into entertainment.

[@TranscenGopher]

Politics as a festival is now replaced with politics as a boring library board meeting about which colour to paint a door knob in a toilet. Before it was populist, now it's done so people stop caring, and in my opinion, the second one is a lot worse.

[@gunterthekaiser6190]

@@TranscenGopher the second one is honest, the first one is a farce made to hypnotise the idiots.

[@hivetech4903]

@@TranscenGopher The populist one literally tried to destroy democracy and got people killed. So I'd love to hear your insight as to how the second one is "worse".

[@jakemeyer8188]

My wife is from Voronezh, and her mom still lives there. It's eery how accurate your statements are. I can confirm that the denial is REAL, and her mom would auto-support anything Putin decided to do, even bomb Russian cities as you mentioned. She has also been an avid Stalin denier in recent years. I've only been able to chalk it up to the glossing over of nostalgia, and that the former USSR citizens will have to age out before Russia can actually start to implement real change...

[@Paul-is4dw]

I’ve always believed that the older generation of Russians will have to die out before real progress can be achieved.

[@wederMaxim]

Long life to her. Russia has a chance only as long as the citizens of the USSR are alive.

[@freespiritable]

@@Paul-is4dw i don't harbor that hope anymore. .y country too was a dictatorship for 45 long years. I was born 2 years prior to the dictator's death and 9 years before the end of the regime. I'm in my late 30s now so a quarter of my life was under the regime. Anyone older than me has lived a bigger percentage in a totalitarian propaganda. When the regime fell, i believe Russians might have experienced this as well, people were very hopeful for change. But the wrong people seized power, no one was held responsible for the committed crimes, and let the country towards pretty much the same dark path, of propaganda and manipulation backed by heavy corruption and the offering of private liberties as Vlad says. On the other hand, the tough stand European countries took, not letting people move free and work to help the economy rebuild, but locked us in and let us to deal with our poverty while they threw scrumbs which was devoured by corruption, of European officials in charge of it first. Every dream average people had about the fall of the curtain was crushed and smashed, with decades passing and seeing most of the fears the dictator used start to feel like "true".

[@akku6872]

@@Paul-is4dw to be honest the problem not in the generation itself but in immoral individuals like putin and his band that do not comprehend the genuity of any ideology and that there is something else than money and power, new people in their 40's like Navalny and others that can take the power exist now, so i do not see the problem in generation here also the ullta'patriots' are usually the most apathic and passive, majority of them will not defend the putin on the streets like they didn't protest in the 1991 and 1993 when soviet state was collapsing

[@glennd6693]

LOL, a younger russian generation will be even worse than so-called 'Stalin deniers.'

[@JakeBroe]

This man needs 100K subs! Everyone needs to subscribe to Vlad!

[@VladVexler]

Jake thank you!!!!!!!

[@james_webb1]

As Russian wanna say that this video gives pretty accurate picture, of what happening inside Russia, especially wanna notice about fear that frustrate cuz you feeling that personally your active protests can't change anything.

[@TheToxiss]

Thank you Vlad, I feel like I'm beginning to understand the mentality of an average russian through you videos. The whole Kremlin posturing over the past months makes much more sense to me now.

[@yglnvbrs]

You don’t, he takes away the subjectively important points from Putin’s narrative. Most people do understand that this tyrant’s regime is corrupt and tyrannical, but they are willing to cope with that because they percieve nato expansion as a bigger threat. And us/eu doesn’t give a shit about their opinion either so they don’t feel like pursuing the path of westernisation is any better than just sitting on their asses.

[@CorePathway]

Americans simply can’t wrap their minds around the fact that other peoples and cultures are fundamentally different. Our success in nation-building Japan blinded us into thinking we can export democratic capitalism anywhere anytime.

[@yglnvbrs]

@@CorePathway russia is not that different from us/eu. You can export democratic capitalism here, but you should expect that this can be done just by force and this can be done by copying us constitution.

[@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u]

@@CorePathway Thoughts that all nations are different, culturally, politically, religiously, are not welcome here. If you do not agree, militant democrats will definitely come after you.

[@CorePathway]

@@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u So much fail in one simple post.

[@bobburten261]

Thanks!

[@MrZajentyk]

I have just realized that you thoroughly and methodically explained how the fascist regimes operate. Stunning and very educative!

[@MeepChangeling]

They're... They're not fascist though... Much like communism, no authoritarian dictatorship has followed the rules necessary to be fascist. If they were fascist, their economy would actually function. Because they'd care about things like reality, quotas based on need, and... Ugh fuck it. No one cares what words actually mean anymore. Might as well call them pantsist.

[@znail4675]

@Werner Pfeifenberger That sounds like a very romantic view of fascist regimes as calling people like Hitler caring about their people is rather odd. He and Putin may care about being perceived to be caring, but both care(d) mostly about staying in power and accumulating more power for the country that they rule, not for the people.

[@imperialdacha2939]

@Werner Pfeifenberger по факту сказано, мое уважение

[@mitjed]

@@znail4675 Fascism is different from Authoritarian crooks who only wants to enrich themeselves and control the public, the people becomes poor and those crooks tells them its okay to be poor. Fascism is not just about hate, it offers robust social welfare thats why the likes of Hitler became very appealing to the post defeated German people if WW1.

[@63Limar]

Russia isn't fascist, but during this war putin wish it was. If it was fascist it would be a politically mobilised country striving towards a singular ideology and national identity. People in Russia are demobilised, there is not nation and there is no ideology. This form og government is called an informational autocracy.

[@alexplough4036]

As a Russian who's against the regime, I acknowledge the precision and thoroughness of the analysis and shake your head for the job well done. Barely ever can we see such a content from abroad.

[@WeaselOnaStick]

Голову ему не надо трясти лол

[@Cynthia_Blackraven_666]

Your country is doomed and the only ones you can blame are yourselves. That's what happens when you embrace chauvinism and fascism. Your people deserve everything that's coming.

[@riverpebblerose]

@@WeaselOnaStick АХАХАХАХХКХАХКХКХКХА РЯЛ

[@daclicker]

Да, давай, потряси его голову еще сильнее, может там что-то зашевелится? А почему украинцы не протестовали 8 лет против обстрелов Донецка? Ах да, путинс пропоханда... Ни в одних новостях европы и штатов я не слышал ни разу одной простой фразы: мирные жители донецка и луганска. Проверь сам. Ничего кроме "русские сепаратисты" за 8 лет, ни разу. Конечно проще долбить по русским сепаратистам, чем по собственным гражданам на "окупированных Россией территориях".

[@maryamli007]

Ты можешь уехать или просто включить впн, если у нас забанят ютуб (что вряд-ли) 🤷‍♀️

[@olesha]

Thank you for sharing light on the internal Russian problems for foreigners, it is really important job you doing! I hope i'm not asking for too much here but it would be also really important to make Russian subtitles and maybe even dubed version of this video so people over the other side of the fence would maybe stumble upon it and have some thought.

[@overloader7900]

Афигеть

[@LEO2012911]

Нда

[@n1kko831]

Где видео??

[@toshabursin]

В этом видео Влад затронул много вещей, о которых в своих аналитических видео говорит Максим Кац, рекомендую посмотреть

[@VladVexler]

Thank you so much. Of course this is just a snippet. I am hoping to make progress on subtitles! I have a health condition and only working 2 hours a day at the moment.

[@philipberthiaume2314]

Thoughtful and well constructed video. It lends plenty of insight.

[@VladVexler]

Thank you Philip

[@sharpclaw24]

Brilliant video! As a Pole it speaks volumes to me, the Voronezh - Kharkov analogy. How.. uncaring? Ignorant? You have to be to just, dismiss. Dismiss whole cultures, ethinic groups that desperately want to exist

[@jkorowicz]

In an open society, 'you can't change the past but you can change your future', in Russia you can't change your future but the past will be changed for you.

[@nobody4y]

"Why are Russians not protesting" As ex Soviet State member I can tell you. Its getting beaten up by police and then being send into prison with extremes charges or worse , sent to insane asylum. Some times people don't even return at all.

[@stolyartoad8640]

what country are you from?

[@nobody4y]

@@stolyartoad8640 Eastern Europe , Lithuania.

[@NitroMorrison17]

Doesn't stop Iranians.

[@alaza4845]

Well the question should perhaps be put differently then: What could be the possible reasons for Russians' finding themselves being stripped of all and any of their civil liberties -- if they ever had any - to a point where they feel helpless when it comes to regaining them?

[@albertklamt7622]

Brilliant presentation, Vlad Vexler! Greetings from Germany. I was born 1954 in the German Ruhr Area. And went trhough decades of analysis and examination of the German past. As long as there is denial of it there can be no future. Not even robust reform.

[@VladVexler]

Thanks so much Albert.

[@максимсидоров-л7л]

Well. Sometimes it's better to lose, really.

[@holesmak]

@@максимсидоров-л7л no. Its better to not start it at all

[@максимсидоров-л7л]

@@holesmak A little too late for that, but... yeah.

[@normanboyes4983]

Thank you Vlad - absolutely brilliant and I am sure you could do a very much extended version of this - there is so much to talk about. Thank you for all that you can do. Best wishes for improvement in your health.😀👍

[@kenmvilla]

A person I know that travels to Russia frequently said basically Russians are generally against the war, but don't really care about Ukraine so fuck em. There isn't enough general anti-war sentiment, combined with a sort of apathy toward Ukraine. I'm sure the uncontested Russian propaganda helps, along with the threat of a mere disagreement of military tactics can land you in jail.

[@Hollander113]

After watching "Never let me go" I wondered why the characters didn't just run, and I found that the writer of the book got asked this question only by western people, never by the Russians or Japanese. He said that your lot in life is much more easily accepted in those societies. that seems to hold true considering recent events.

[@slyasleep]

There is something to be said for the West then, still.

[@ZonD9]

Я почувствовал апатию ещё в 2020м. Мы 10 лет выходили на улицы а репрессии становились только сильней.

[@VolSer1993]

Надеюсь, ты уехал из страны.

[@МаксимКутаев-т1п]

нигде вы не нужны, кроме родины своей

[@-Alexey-]

Чем вы, хипстеры и школота, можете угрожать власти? Выходили они, лол.

[@ZonD9]

@@VolSer1993 нет возможности. Уже впаяли административку

[@ZonD9]

@@-Alexey- Они специально под нас создали рос гвардию. Но мы конечно же ничем не угрожаем =)

[@JabzyJoe]

Great video as always!

[@VladVexler]

Thank you so much!

[@peterharma8937]

Thank you very much, Vlad! It is always a pleasure to listen to your in depth analysis of the current events taking place in Russia and Ukraine, with the history as background.

[@VladVexler]

Peter thank you so much for listening to this one!

[@Paroles_et_Musique]

Meh, making money by repeating what the listener want to hear. KZbin reality, nothing to do with real life. Worth noticing that most of content creator who had a different point of view were banned and terminated by youtube staff, while the antirussian nonsense bubble and hate keeps going on. That's enough for me to get who is right, when one opinion refuses the challenge.

[@a5cent]

@@Paroles_et_Musique I can't say I know a lot of Russians, about a dozen, and the ones I do know aren't representative of the average Russian as they all live in Moscow, but the ones I do know all tell me Vlad's analysis is accurate. The fact that you've failed to cite a single point you think is wrong, nor provided a single specific correction, makes it impossible to take you seriously. The fact that some Russian bots got banned (assuming that is even true) really doesn't prove their views are correct. That's as moronic as claiming the fact that NAZI symbolism is banned in Germany means we should take that symbolism seriously. Surely you have a better argument?

[@Paroles_et_Musique]

@@a5cent I live in France and by order from Brussels, every Russian media was terminated. On youtube every media having a more nuanced version was terminated as well, you call them "bots", I call them medias with a lot of journalist who lost their job. Is easy to déshumanise people with different opinions by calling them bots, what if they call you back as lobotomized, since not a single individual here offer contradiction? There is no argument here as well, as the only refrain I read here is "muh russians bad, Putin crazy" then every commenter parroting what the previous said. Complex events as wars don't have one truth, if that was the case, you would have to call Israel and USA psychopathes as well. You don't, because you know reality and geopolitical conflicts are complex, but when Russia you do. Thats all.

[@Paroles_et_Musique]

@@alteredbeast7145 We have a journalist in France, Anne-Laure Bonnel. She went in 2014 in Donbass and made a covering of the conflict. She made a movie about all atrocities done by Ukrainien army, especially Azov regiment, we could see testimonial about raped children, teared old people, killed civilians and so. When she came back in France, she went on national medias and they freaked so much about what was in the movie that they didn't invite her anymore, as France was the mediator in the Minsk agreements, so we were responsible. In February 2022, after invasion of Ukraine by the Russians, she uploaded again the movie on KZbin. Of course, they banned the Chanel then a fact-checker spent a lot of time "debunking" her claims. A bit of dig into that fact-checker shows that is was 100% composed of Ukrainians journalists and students. And I don't even mention Amnesty International report where they tell about UKR army using civilians as shield, thus putting them in danger. Guess what, after that report, the president of AI was forced to dismiss. So don't tell me "is that simple"' when you guys used censure and intellectual terrorism to just make invisible any arguments showing it is not so simple.

[@aresmars2003]

What was the Soviet joke I heard? “The past is rewritten so quickly, you don't know what's going to happen yesterday.”

[@svetlanai4968]

Navalny actually has a pretty clear answer to the question “what Russia should be like”, he gives it in the Washington Post article from September

[@brianquinn6014]

Vlad, you are fantastic. This must be broadcast all over the world. Best from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@VladVexler]

Warm wishes back at you, thank you!

[@brianquinn6014]

@@VladVexler Vlad I’m love, and I’m a married man.😂😀😀All the best son,and stay safe.

[@wederMaxim]

@@VladVexler Before talking about Stalin, it is better to look at the reaction of good Western partners to the Russian revolution. Have you heard anything about military intervention?

[@Imaxxd22]

@@VladVexler You miss some points in your analysis and you missuse analogies to make worser picture. First of all number of politically apathetic people is not so different from world. Second you see that there can be only one point of view and it is to be against Putin. Third political active people now participate in all that actions as different humanitarian organisations. Fourth Russian society supports Putins actions not couse he is Putin, but couse situation was kead to the point, where such actions unfortunately had to be done. Would you support a man, who is cutting other man? What if he is a surgeon who is deleting a cancer. You see now the difference. Ukrainian inner politics became a cancer. Ukraine was shelling and still is shelling cities of Donbass region instead of searching for peaceful solution. Many people have friends and relatives there, so they actually know what was happening, while Ukrainian society was apathetic. Russia did political and diplomatical moves to stop that, but that didn't worked, they were simply ignored. Now think about it.

[@mark_delfino]

Thank you Vlad, this is a wonderful summary, easy to follow and understand. I hope that it will be widely seen

[@VladVexler]

Thanks so much! I am guessing this video will not do particularly well!

[@jsaintr.i.r4018]

Sharing is caring 🙏

[@ebrim5013]

Totally agree, I hope we can get this to as many people as we can.

[@henrytuttle]

Wow. Never heard this explained like this. I lived in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan for 11 years. I saw the apathy and misinformation but never quite understood it. Thank you.

[@jsk3911]

I would not say most Russian support Putin, most people do not really care and do not want to think about it

[@hermansims2296]

Vlad, thank you for the content. I turn to you when I want a deeper understanding of the current situation in Russia from a Russian perspective. These types of situations and what they mean elude us in the West, well in the United States. We have very little understanding of Russia, it's history or current politics. I'm one of those weird Americans that want to know about Russia. I hope that the silent majority and many other Russians wake up real soon. Things need to change for the Russian people in the 21st century! Thanks again.

[@РостиславЛатипов-ю3у]

just a note to anyone here - Mr. Vexler understands Russia as much as good as any of you here. To speak in such categorical format - like he understands what EVERY RUSSIAN thinks. I am Russian - there are plenty of different takes and views on the 90s, Stalin, Alexander the second, etc. This person never have been in Russia after the collapse of the soviet union. Try watching videos with people who actually studied the country - like, I don't know, Stephen Koen - but not this charlatan trying to grab more views out of YT audience

[@judithcampbell1705]

Hi Vlad. Thank you for your report on the truth about Putin and the history of Russia. Much appreciated 🙏

[@VladVexler]

My great pleasure

[@Ex-LDS]

Agree!

[@AM-kz3ep]

its not true. i would recommed watch russian youtubers to understand whats really going on

[@yglnvbrs]

It is not the full story. Putin’s tyrannical regime has one more or less true and stable pillar of support: nato expansion. While it may not be real threat to Russia it is still percieves as such by large numbers of people and western ignorance of those, at least in Russian perspeception, legitimate security concerns is what motivates people to think “yes it’s a corrupt tyrannical regime that hurts our growth, but being conquered is much worse so I shouldn’t protest against it”. As “west” don’t realise that this expansions make Putin’s regime stronger because security paranoia increases Russians don’t realise that their lack of resistance increases paranoia in western countries too.

[@tamarys89east38]

@@AM-kz3ep i already watch russian youtubers... and alot full of shit. And i also watch russian youtubers who i believe.. and yes they against the regime. Your just stuck in the bubble. Don't know how much video's you saw from Vlad but if you didn't watch just do it. Especially the video's about propaganda

[@harrydecker8731]

You make some excellent points by getting into the mindsets of the various groups involved in this conflagration. You failed to state, however, that another reason Russians don't protest is because their families could be harassed and jailed as well. I'm friends with a man in Russia, and he has told me that although he's totally against the war, he doesn't speak out to protect his family.

[@HM-iy3dc]

Now those answers are obvious but don't explain everything. The same could be said about protesters in Iran, yet they're still going fiercely

[@viktorias63]

@@HM-iy3dc Iranians aren't a nation of slaves that submit to the tsar and his whims, Russians are though

[@HM-iy3dc]

@@viktorias63 or maybe iranians have been tortured more thoroughly with gender segregation, head scarf law, alcohol prohibition ect.

[@jamesgornall5731]

Same as the West where we all know what a woman is but won't state the obvious in writing for fear of it affecting our employment

[@moicestlapoussiere777]

after Hitler died the regime in Germany changed, but after Stalin died the government in Russia stayed the same, as it continues today, and basically there were no one to officially all the way and w real feeling judge tyranny. even during 90's the talking heads (that they were) have been doing the same, like destroying Chechnya to dust... there was no non-perpetrator authority.

[@allonsenfants8106]

Precisely.

[@adriaank75]

Another very insightful video. I'm going to ask my Russian friend from Yekaterinburg to watch it and share her thoughts. I value her opinion very much. She's an intellectual like you. I'm quite sure she'll agree with all of your claims... I do ;)

[@bassemheni]

Another great video, learned a lot. Thank you Vlad

[@VladVexler]

I am glad!

[@TheGrace020]

Incredible video as always Vlad!

[@VladVexler]

thank you so much!

[@TheGrace020]

@@VladVexler Thank you for posting :) You always have such interesting insights.

[@m14garand]

I am 18, born and currently living in Moscow. I've beem asking myself this question like every day after February 24. I remember reassuring my mom the day before that Putin won't do it. My family is what's called 'liberal' here (you know, wanting fair elections and stuff) and I kept saying to them "yeah, I know he's insane, but not to such an extent. Why would he even do it? He prolonged the conflict for 8 damn years what changed now?? Don't even worry, he just tries his stupid psycological games with the West". And then it happened. The world fucking collapsed. But the most astonishing thing is that at least 50% of Moscow residents and even more in the countryside surely don't care a bit. The main reasons for this that I came up with is a lack of opposion forces: despite all the internet and stuff we just don't have a SINGLE opposion leader in the country. That's insane, pretty much every of my acquitances dislikes Putin regime. But the fact is that after 2012,2018 and 2021 every citizen thinks of this government as an unbreakable stone wall. You just can't break it, and if you'll try it will fucking kill or imprison you. So, no one really feels he has any power over this process. But if something will start, and I am guessing eventually it will - as the government loses its grasp over the country with so many braindead 'patriots' and other protectors of the regime being on the frontlines - people will join in and try to contribute as much as they can. But now all we can do is waiting, I guess. Sorry for the longread.

[@olhashi2045]

All we can do is wait. It makes me wanna puke after the Iranian protests. Useless nation.

[@m14garand]

@@olhashi2045 yeah, now try protesting in an actually powerful state with law enforcements bigger than the army and half of the nation being braindead soviet remnants pieces of shit, see how that goes... Easy to say something like yeaahh go say your government is shit sitting an actually democratic country. Look at Belarus protests, literally nothing they could do - and at that time pretty much the whole nation seemed to be eager to overthrow Lukashenko.

[@olhashi2045]

@@m14garand oh so sad that Iranians are protesting against a more cruel state now. So bad you can't whitewash yourself now while they're doing it with your "I'll go to gulag" fairy tales. I'm sitting in Ukraine, Kyiv btw, so go and fcking smth already with your government. Or shut up and don't cry because you don't deserve this.

[@m14garand]

@@olhashi2045 They've been protesting for over 2 months now. See any progress? They don't hold a single city as of right now. They come, protest and are smashed by the police. We've been doing it in Moscow since 2012, and it kinda doesn't work. You'll say "Well Maydan worked". Yeah, it did, I'm honestly very happy for you. My dad was there for the last days of the barricades, helping to fight for a european Ukraine at least, as it was hopeless in Moscow st that point already. I still have some photos. But in our country, apparently, it is so much harder to push the government away. I'm not saying we shouldn't protest, but how exactly can we do it with any REAL result? We still keep trying to do smthn tho. Sincerest apologies for my country's crimes against Ukraine, hope the future will become brighter at some point for all of us.

[@goroch_thegreen]

@@m14garand Belarusians also protested for months, how they end up? And we only will see what Iranians will achieve. They didn't fight their yet.

[@dancefredericko]

I was protesting 6 cops beat me up? So what can I do?

[@alyssapowell1799]

This explains a lot. My great-grandfather emigrated from Russia following the Communist Revolution (his family was Belarusian). I've made contact with distant cousins via genetic genealogy, including the granddaughter of my great-grandfather's sister. She had created a family tree listing that my great-grandfather died in WWII and family members who died likely due to Stalin that my great-grandfather had some contact with in Belarus also died in WWII. My great-grandfather blamed Stalin and Lenin for so many of his family members dying or fleeing Russia & Belarus - not the Nazis. When I brought this up in an email, the distant cousin couldn't understand why my great-grandfather would blame Stalin and claimed it was American lies trying to make Stalin out to be evil. But she seemed almost upset that she had to update the family tree that my great-grandfather wasn't killed in Nazis. This was someone well educated who lived outside Moscow. But it makes sense now. She really didn't seem like she wanted to meet distant relatives to figure out what happened to her family - but try to confirm her own believes that anyone who was missing was just killed by the Nazis (even if we know they were alive in the 1950s). It's hard to imagine how millions of people could die due to Stalin and no one cares. But there's an easy way to ignore the deaths - blame the Nazis.

[@mikeboy0001]

@Айдын Төлеген Delivered death to your own people by the millions, and still you consider him a hero At least North Koreans have the excuse of forcefully being isolated from the World, whereas you choose to do so Could easily be one of the most prosperous countries in the World, and instead are nothing but ignorant Neanderthals who want to trash the World with big nukes and prospect of Armageddon No country is perfect, but you have a century old mentality that is not only shameful but also disgusting

[@mikeboy0001]

@Айдын Төлеген My friend I'm not American, I'm Portuguese, and I actually think American culture is pretty horrible But that's got nothing to do with it, and I'm not here to preach about capitalism or communism either, they're both flawed and that's politics But idolising someone who killed his own people by the millions, means you're sense of life borders insanity

[@jozwoz99]

@Айдын Төлеген but something I can’t understand is, given what u say about how terrible life in the 90s and after has been, why is there such support for Putin who was an assistant of the 90s oligarchs and once in power simply created his own oligarchs to replace the 90s oligarchs?

[@rockyaer1]

@Айдын Төлеген your first paragraph is russia pre Alexander 2, not pre 1917

[@rockyaer1]

@Айдын Төлеген no what I'm saying is that there was that your first paragraph describing russia was before Alexander 2, not before 1917. By 1917 Russia was not semi feudalism, industrialisation was rapid as could be seen by the Russian gdp increasing ever year. Movement was not prohibited anymore.

[@drosophilamelanogaster3957]

Nabiullina has presented her resignation early in the war yet Pootin "asked" her to stay longer.

[@SpiritofNature]

“Apathy is death. Worse than death, because at least a rotting corpse feeds the beasts and insects.”

[@falswere300]

I am russian who was in all protest activity since my 18th and immigrated after declaring the war against Urkaine. I want to thank you for the work you have done with clearing up situation in russian society.

[@zen4men]

Hopefully Russian will sabotage the railways. ...... That is the quickest way to bring Putin to his knees.

[@kosmos8802]

Ты не русский, ты предатель 🇷🇺💪

[@SDDanil1123]

куколд ебаный, типо борец с режимом а сам убежал заграницу

[@coolak7293]

When was the war declared?

[@zod1aq]

@@coolak7293 doesnt need to be

[@perseusarkouda]

9:55 I was amazed how the political talk shows in Russian tv are looking more like a reality show than an actual political talk show. That explains a lot.

[@attemptedunkindness3632]

Back in 2014, right as I was getting out of the service and still near D.C. I sorta befriended an Ukrainian mail order bride(they exist). She was young, tiny, her husband was some old rich fat bald jerkoff. Heavy drinker, so we got along. This was around the time Crimea was being annexed, and knowing that she just came from nearby recently, I asked her what she thought about it, expecting righteous indignity. I will never forget the cold, glassy-eyed, and ice slow shrug she gave me in response. "It doesn't matter, I don't care" she said(paraphrasing, was drunk). It was that response that put me in the camp of many fellow Americans that Ukraine would just roll over in the face of the full blown invasion by Russia. I can only say that today I am so very glad that I was wrong in that assessment, freedom isn't for the meek, and the Ukrainians of 2022 are far from meek.

[@aleue]

There are 3 kinds of freedom. 1. Political freedom- you have say in who your leaders are. 2. National freedom- your country is not controlled by another country 3. Personal freedom- you are free to do as you please as long as you harm no one else. When Cezar crossed the Rubacon, he ended the Republic (Political freedom) and started the Roman empire where the people had Personal Freedom. The USA is the only country in history that has ( for now). Study the federalist papers to understand how this came to be

[@lexas1]

You deserve a much larger audience. Always insightful, elegant. Whenever I watch you I feel my mind expanding. Keep it up, you have important work to do.

[@kellyp4377]

Wow! What powerful a powerful presentation! I had to go back a few times to re-listen to some of your points ! Incredible how you can simplify & communicate such complex truths & thoughts Thank you so very much Vlad! I greatly respect your expertise and insights You are an incredible orator!

[@VladVexler]

Far too generous and thank you so much!

[@endzor]

No facts

[@vacafuega]

I have to say this video also resonates very much on a personal level, even though I am not Russian - in the sense that the intricate interlacing power setup, and the various "deals" going on, are essentially a macrocosm of how abusive families operate under rule by a tyrannical dictator-parent. I know that weird feeling of being bound by invisible ropes all too well, like a sick traumatic game of chess.

[@Paul-is4dw]

The whole country screams Trauma from years and years of abuse.I don't know what the solution is to fix it.The Western world think that just getting rid of Putin is the solution to the problem are going to be in for a massive awakening.

[@dianekratschmer-chilon6757]

I relate and totally agree with the comparison.

[@VincentLoraine]

Your videos are so smart, so wise, so carefully considered and so well explained! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@VladVexler]

Thank you!

[@another-take]

Nice, keep them coming. 👍

[@MarkLambertMusic]

Years ago I started seeking out Russians to befriend so I could get their take on both Russian politics and geopolitics. To a person none of them wanted to discuss such things. I thought it was just my bad luck that every Russian I engaged with was so apathetic politically. I never realized it was just typical Russian behaviour, as I've come to learn thanks to video essays such as this one.

[@aliciadavis8872]

I try to as well. They've just ignore me.

[@MarkLambertMusic]

@@aliciadavis8872 There is one Russian group of friends and family that I'd become particularly close with over the years, and remain so to this day. We've even exchanged packages; they've sent me a lot of old USSR memorabilia they knew I had a fascination with. Despite years of building a trustful relationship, they refuse to talk about anything political, including the invasion of Ukraine. It's an 800lb gorilla in the room that must constantly be danced around. The "everyone lies" thing is something I heard often from them as their way of sidestepping political conversation. It's eerie to find that such cynical thinking has been purposefully instilled in them by their government.

[@obsidianjane4413]

"Apathy" is not the proper adjective in authoritarian societies. Its fear. People self-censor and feign indifference because it is a survival mechanism. Where in the West its subtle and we call it social norms, group-think, conformity, in authoritarian countries, socio-economic and sometimes literal personal survival depends on knowing when to keep your mouth shut.

[@CorePathway]

Learned helplessness?

[@Malcriada115]

@@aliciadavis8872 Being ignored is actually not bad. I am Polish (with some Russian roots) and whenever I try to burst a Russian bubble in a conversation with a Russian citizen, I come under attack and a barrage of propaganda, which twists history to the point of being unrecognizable. It's like talking to a wall.

[@physicalprep1]

Thank you for doing what you do! I really enjoy your perspective on Russian political culture.

[@VladVexler]

I am grateful.

[@NATTOP]

In addition, men who took a part in Navalny's protest were the first to be drafted during mobilization

[@quecksilber457]

That was one of the most impressive political/sociopolitical summaries in under 20 minutes i ever watched. I learned a lot today. Greetings from Germany.

[@VladVexler]

Greetings back!! And thank you.

[@quecksilber457]

@@VladVexler You are most welcome. It is a pleasure to listen to someone truly intellectual besides all this hyped nonsense.

[@xmoose9]

This is the most insightful, crystal clear and informative video I've seen on understanding USSR-Russia-war matter of them all. For 15 minutes it is simply amazing! Thank you very much Vlad and please continue to do your work and feel better.

[@xmoose9]

And I've watched and read a lot on that and lived my whole life in Moscow so I'm not new to this. Thank you once again, super impressed!

[@sergeipravosud1848]

Dear author, you're absolutely right! I can declare that without any doubt as a Russian, who stand against the war! Unfortunately, my parents as well as other relatives support this Putin's regime, this full iniquity! They have never concerned about their future, and as you noticed absolutely right, they don't feel Russian borders as well. Furthermore, they haven't practically travelled at all! On the one hand, they have a "higher education", and simultaneously on the other hand they don't know the history, they can't analyze information, they don't know foreign languages and hence can't read different sources. I would like to say that they're politically blind: they allowed this shit happen. Ever since I decided to continue my career abroad, they have been calling me "a traitor". When I tell them, what does it mean - to be a true patriot, they don't agree: for them, it still means to love your President(=your King), don't think critically about your hometown/region and Russia at all, and obey all authorities. This long preface was to that it's not apathy, they are just narrow-minded. But they're still my relatives and I love them! And I love my country! And hate my government.

[@Mr.LeoWarren]

I think this video encapsulates the bystander effect a bit. It is easier to criticize Russians for not doing anything when you are in a safe country which allows freedom of speech. My heart goes out to the Russians. In today's nihilistic society, we must carry the message from Fahrenheit 451. If you have not read it, I strongly suggest you do. There is a quote from this book explaining the significance of not being apathetic. Montag (the protagnist) says "I made them unhappier than they have been in years…maybe it’s best not to face things..." Professor Faber replies with“...if there was peace in the world, I’d say fine, have fun! But…[a]ll isn’t well with the world” (Bradbury 97-100). I have made mulitple essays for high school on this book because I love it so much. I chose that book for my ISU (independent reading study). And last year, I chose 1984. I love dsytopians because of how they reflect society.

[@allyson87]

As one of the very few Americans who was against the Afghanistan and Iraq w@rs from the beginning, I’m amazed by the lack of self awareness in how many people here judge average Russians…

[@alexalexov4454]

Excellent video! Thanks for clearing things out. A true ambassador of Russians all over the world!

[@davidfranklin3139]

Vlad, this has to be the best analysis of what's going on. Beautifully conceived, narrated and presented. Thank You!

[@VladVexler]

Thank you!

[@petersouthernboy6327]

So pleased that I subscribed yesterday. I appreciate the well thought out and informative content 👌

[@daleismyfather]

This is a fascinating and, I think, very important understanding of political apathy. People are trying to build a good life and if you train them that all political or historical thought is stressful and painful, then they will go to extreme cognitive lengths to keep this "mental peace" in tact.

[@northerngirl4666]

I’m a former ESl teacher in Canada. One semester, my class had about 8 Russians. They were sad, dour and apathetic for the most part. As a teacher, my goal was to bring laughter into the classroom. Getting these students to crack a smile was really hard work. They were lovely and kind and worked really hard and seemed to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. A few detested me because I appeared to be not serious but the rest bought into the idea that it was okay to have a bit of fun while learning a new language. I still have on my key ring, a medallion with a spell dispelling evil spirits written in Russian given to me by Katarina as a gift at the end of the session. I still remember her face and I hoped that her life in Canada was filled with good things and laughter.

[@ИгорьКалинин-д3м]

Not sad. This is completely normal behavior for a Russian. It's just that we don't express our feelings randomly and to just anyone, as is your custom. Pulling a fake smile on your face does not mean that you are not sitting on prozac or similar nastiness to survive another day.

[@vacafuega]

​@@ИгорьКалинин-д3м it's more complicated than that. if you're not traumatised, you're able to feel people's genuine kindness behind daily acts, like the ones expressed by this teacher. and so the smile is not fake, it's a genuine smile because someone is being caring and loving and nourishing your soul. but if you are used to trauma and deceit and violence, you will not be able to distinguish genuine kindness from attempts to hurt you, and so the smile will have to be fake. humans act and feel totally differently depending on whether we feel safe or unsafe, just like other animals. it's a profoundly different way of living.

[@ИгорьКалинин-д3м]

@@vacafuega Are you contradicting yourself intentionally or are you just rushing to disprove me?

[@stvk99]

I bet if you had a cynical sense of humor those Russians would have appreciated your efforts more ;)

[@renardthedev]

@@vacafuega it's funny how you try to explain to a russian how he feels.

[@kristalkristal2506]

Dear Vlad, Since I have been passively picking up a bit of Ukrainian and Russian (watching their media since the war), I have noticed that they use the word "normal" quite a lot. In fact, they don't otherwise seem to be very descriptive about states or evaluations. Normal and Abnormal seem to be agreed to be generally sufficient as descriptive terms. So I wonder what that says about Navalny saying he wants Russia to be a "normal" country. I think there is some semantic depth that we miss when we translate the word. Could that be right? I also wonder if the very frequent usage of the word normal indicates very strong normative and conformative pressures in these cultures. Any thoughts you can share about that would be appreciated. Thanks for another great video :)

[@johanswede8200]

Noticed the same thing. In Swedish and English "normal" is the same thing...In Russia it is something else...Gre😘tings from Stockholm.

[@thefarmerswifeknits6190]

They also use the word “adequate “ a lot to describe a person. I would love to know what makes a person adequate.

[@reptilja9937]

I can confirm that you are absolutely onto something here, as a russian. In terms of informal, day-to-day kind of communication, the word "нормально" oftentimes indicates unwillingness or reluctance to get into details. On its own it does not mean much of anything, and the meaning is attributed through the tone, context, non-verbal cues, etc. It is a ready-made response, an empty linguistic box. Abnormal, however, is not the opposite of normal (in russian, that is to say). As an adjective it is most commonly used to refer to someone not in their right mind ("ненормальный"), so to speak. As an adverb it is rarely used. And the literal transcription of "абнормальный/абнормально" has a formal, almost scientific, connotation. So it is also not used in everyday speech. In regards to Navalny's statement, Vlad has already pointed out that it does not entail much political substance. What that turn of phrase could mean, the way I see it, is that there is some self-evident, blatantly obvious reality, which is constituted more or less as an opposite to the way things actually are in our country (pretty terrible). Hopefully, that makes sense - I just couldn't phrase it any better. The "semantic depth" is not so much about the *meaning* , because there is little to none of it, but about the etymology, which is to say, about how the word has come to be so prominent (in Russia at least). And that's where your hypothesis about the normative pressures comes into play. I am unfortunately unable to elaborate on that in depth, but the first thing that came to mind, when I read your comment, was the novel "Норма" ("Norm") by Vladimir Sorokin. It's a transgressive, postmodern deconstructive fiction, with it's central idea of "the norm" being unambiguously represented by (pardon my french) feces, that people are obligated to consume in small amounts every day. And that idea has to do with the soviet rhetoric and ethos. As in there is a certain threshold of appropriate work, civic or whatever output, a quota which has to be fulfilled. Which in itself is a part of an even larger quota, a plan, outlined to be completed within a certain timeframe (e.g. "Пятилетка", a five-year plan). In that sense, the word "норма" alludes to that kind of formation, the kind of automatised, impersonally compulsory ethic, structurally underlying the process of economic, societal development, with "the norm" being its unit of measurement. Which leads us back to its contemporary equivocal use. Not meaning much on its own, alluding to the aforementioned concept, only defined by who, where, how and so on says it. Thank you for coming to my youtube-comment-section talk. I hope you enjoyed reading this wall of text as much as I enjoyed writing it😅

[@kristalkristal2506]

@@reptilja9937 Thank you. Compliments on your excellent English!

[@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u]

Navalny is a populist, and like all populists, he is for everything good and against everything bad. Without any political program, superficial knowledge of the laws and clear views on the future. It is normal for such people to be normal. Sorry for the pun.

[@scpmr]

This video is idiotic. Russians do not protest against the war in Ukraine for the same reason the Americans did not protest against the war in Iraq. Yes I know there were some small protests in America but they changed nothing. And don't tell me these wars are different. They are not different. It's the way the Western media reports on the war that is different.

[@anthonynelson6671]

We really must not underestimate the power and tangible impact held by people not caring about something, mustn't we?

[@nichotto]

Or caring about an untruth, Brexit.

[@MrZajentyk]

This is one of your best videos so far! Very clear message! Thank you for that input.

[@VladVexler]

So glad this brought value

[@levishaun8334]

Huh, so I'm not the only one then. Thank you, it's a good thing youtube recommended this video (something good for once). The last part really does speak to me, in fact, it speaks for me. Up until very lately I participated and even coordinated protests against the regime, but now not so much. Why? Because of that. I'm not afraid of getting jailed or killed, I kinda dedicated too much of my life to this country to feel any fear about that. What I do fear, however, is that this will happen to me for nothing. I'm afraid of throwing my life away.

[@BoraHorzaGobuchul]

That's easy to say. I'd love to see you protest in Russia. When you'll be fined, easily lose your job, followed by "counter-extremism" operatives, threatened, and, after a couple of protests, jailed, likely with confiscation of property.

[@LibertarianLiberall]

Спасибо за видео, бро. Как русский хочу сказать, протестовать против фашиста путина бессмысленно. Только партизанская война и революция. Другого выхода нет

[@Telly234]

I respect your opinion. If it’s not asking too much, would you be concerned that a weakened Russia would be dominated by the West and its values? Cheers from Brazil.

[@sissy_christ666]

@@Telly234 "a weakened Russia would be dominated by the West and its values" As it should be

[@Laifulessone]

@@Telly234 I think swapping a soon-to-be totalitarian autocracy for a more democratic government at the expense of allowing LGBT couples to adopt kids or gay people not being tortured and killed in some parts of the country is nice. Liberal values are nice in general tbh.

[@cdru515]

@@Telly234 I'd take western occupation over homegrown dictators

[@jumplhumpl8572]

@@Telly234 Do you mean Democracy and personal freedom if you talk about western values that Russians should be afraid of ? Or some Bolsonarian Stories you believe in? Honestly talking about the west willing to politically dominate Russia shows your lack of knowledge on that topic.

[@ИванРодионов-у5ь]

I'm Russian, I don't protest and I won't. I like my government.

[@63Limar]

How old are you?

[@viktorias63]

Vankya, why are you in youtube comments and not dying in Ukraine right now? not patriotic enough.

[@wowomah6194]

You know Vlad, your most recent video about the St Petersburg cafe bombing made me think. You said that a decaying empire often doesn't know/feel its own borders. I think in some ways this disqualifies the USA from being a typical "empire" and gives me an idea for a better way to describe the USA's influence in the world. In a way, we, in the USA are almost like an "empire for hire" that is, many of our partners, allies etc often use our vast bureaucracy or military in substitute of their own and thus benefit from our systems without being part of the USA, thus, we're "exporting empire" to them in the sense that the USA's systems and global infrastructure IS in some ways similar to how an empire would operate on a managerial/bureaucratic/structural level. But on the other hand, our borders are VERY well defined in that we're on very clear terms with our neighboring countries as to where each of our borders starts and ends and have zero issues with that and then on the other sides we just have open ocean. We're lucky in that way in the USA for sure. In this way, America is sort of "imperial" but it's our bureacracies to some extent, our military, and our culture that are being exported rather than the USA taking over new lands at this stage in history. Meanwhile, it seems like Putin's Russia is the exact opposite in most ways. It isn't focused on soft powers like cultural influence, economic development and competitiveness like innovation and creating desirable products or trends, and it's system of government is not enviable and thus isn't exported either. It appears to me, as someone who can only look at Russia from the outside, like Russia is definitely stuck in the past, as if it is stuck in a structure of government and way of looking at what the meaning of a nation/country is that is so outdated that they are failing to exist successfully in a modern world. I think in some ways this is what led to the Ukraine war in that Russia has actually been failing for a LONG time, it's sort of like in grade school when you have a student who has to write an essay and they keep telling the teacher "I'm sorry I forgot to bring my paper to class, can I bring it next time?" and the teacher just lets them keep doing it over and over. Finally, the students grades suffer so badly that the student (Russia) just fails the class and cannot continue as they are. I think this is sort of like Russia, it's a "nation" built on a very weak foundation thanks to the corruption that immediately flooded Russia after the USSR fell. Not that the USSR WASN'T corrupt, but in any case, after its fall, the building blocks for a modern, fair, good State/government simply were not created. It really sounds like the movie Mad Max where war chiefs take over large swathes of land and resources and then battle each other for influence and power. Putin just happens to be the chief with the most skill at killing other "would be chiefs". In some ways, I cannot imagine Russia changing in any other way than a brutal war that somehow ends Putin's regime by once and for all exposing its double speak and its failure to exist in a modern world and provide for its people.

[@amnbvcxz8650]

My grandma’s both parents were in labour camps, actually that’s how they met. My greatgrandfather spent many years (7+) there for a «political статья», even had to change name and after a brief period of freedom was jailed again to be sent to gulag and died shortly. My greatgrandma only did less than a year for stealing few potatoes during the WW2-caused famine in siberia, and only lived with ggfather freely very shortly after their release before he was jailed and died. My grandma doesn’t remember him and never even saw him, except on photos. Yet when her early signs of alzheimer started + due to constantly having TV in the background whilst doing chores she started saying absurd things like that stalin was great in some sense, etc. Meanwhile her parents personal lives were brutally destroyed and she somehow doesn’t notice the unfairness when recalling anything about their lives… Her memories even changed and she claims her father was imprisoned in labour camps most of his adult life because of an accident of a train he was driving, whereas my mother (and her earlier self) remembered he had a political crime and changed names (political cases in those times were very mild, most of them consisted of a person telling a bad joke about Lenin/Stalin/communism). Unfortunately Putin regime has been doing propaganda in favour of Stalin and Lenin. The reminders about and organisations related to reminders of Stalin and Lenin repressions, as well as collectivisation famine are silenced and outlawed. Even just an organisation collecting information about the victims of repressions was outlawed, like Navalny’s, etc. It is by design! Only very educated people or people whose grandparents, etc tell them about those know TRUE history well… And even those who know & remember just don’t talk about it. I think it is also relating to culture/unwritten rule of “we don’t talk about bad/negative things we can’t change now”(aka there’s never a right moment to talk about them). It is extremely annoying mindset, for example one of my russian parents has it despite being anti-war: she shuts down any communication about political things she hears between my other parent and me. This mindset doesn’t only relate to politics but to other negative things, eg it was like that with Covid. It’s the most annoying thing ever. Telling others to shut up just because some fact sours the mood and can’t be changed. My comment just proves what you’re saying.

[@AnexoRialto]

Very helpful explanation of Russian apathy and how Putin can govern so disastrously and still maintain support. Although I'm sorry to say that apathy is not limited to Russia, and I see facets of the same thinking in Spain where I live and definitely in the USA (especially with Republicans) where I was born.

[@burgersuperking]

He is supported exactly because he governs disastrously - he steals and allows others to steal, and maintains high level of lawlessness. This is why Russians adore him