2000 people who probably didn’t want to be involved in this shit any more than the Ukrainians.
I’m so tired of hearing this, can we stop with the “poor Russians under the tsar” narrative?
When Ukrainians got pushed towards the russian empire by their aspiring dictator they did Euromaidan, they got shot at and bravely pushed on, and have been fighting for their freedom ever since. They get to complain about Putin, and they get my sympathy for their suffering.
Russians have completely given up their agency, a couple of arrests and beatdowns by the police were enough to pacify them. I don’t see any protests or rallies anymore, I don’t hear about any partisans. Those in favour of the war have no sympathy from me. Those who are against it but kept silent because they chose a 0.5% chance of getting shelled in Ukraine over a 100% chance of getting arrested have no sympathy from me either.
To the dead Russian who “didn’t want to be involved”: cry me a river, you had your chance to not be involved. You get what you chose. Good riddance.
I get the sentiment that the Russian people are responsible for their government. But repression in Russia goes far beyond “a couple of arrests and beatdowns” - they are openly killing people, torturing them, putting them in labor camps and throwing them behind bars for years or decades for very minor stuff.