Anonymous wrote:It's inevitable. Putins regime will collapse when he becomes infirm or dies. It's a natural resource based economy. The next round of thugs will battle amongst each other for top thug. Who knows though, maybe that gangster won't be a throwback to cold war kgb and will want to have an internationally respectable country, so long as they control the riches and elections. It seemed that was Putin for a while. Oh well.

Maybe, in a better future, russia might industrialize and join the western world

It's inevitable. Putins regime will collapse when he becomes infirm or dies. It's a natural resource based economy. The next round of thugs will battle amongst each other for top thug. Who knows though, maybe that gangster won't be a throwback to cold war kgb and will want to have an internationally respectable country, so long as they control the riches and elections. It seemed that was Putin for a while. Oh well.

Anonymous wrote:Does the Russia you wish for include Crimea?

No

Does the Russia you wish for include Crimea?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Russia will forever be ruled by gangsters

this probably will change (hopefully) if the russian people can get there act together

Is there a good era anywhere in Russian history? It seems like it’s all just endless misery for centuries. They seem to think of the imperial time as the good old days, but that was an awful time for most.

Russia-phobia, Islam-phobia and China-phobia
You name it happens and it is very sad.
People should be educated enough to understand the difference between governments and regular citizens.

Anonymous wrote:Russia will forever be ruled by gangsters

this probably will change (hopefully) if the russian people can get there act together

Russia will forever be ruled by gangsters

Anonymous wrote:You want to see a strong, liberal Russia without sparing a minute to think whether this is in fact wanted by most Russians. You can't shape reality to your fantasies. Some countries are not built to be liberal democracies and there's nothing wrong with that. Comfort yourself that you're not the IMF so this knowledge came to you at a significantly lower price.

-OP here- only the richest, most radical and nationalistic russians still want putin in power, but then again, why risk there life for it? many would rather keep silent than waste there life away in a prison for saying the wrong thing, as a russian myself, i can confidently say many want change, but theres no one to actually light the spark to the powder keg that could be a new Russian government. to put it simply, russia is a second world country thats still developing, and trying to pretend to be 1st world.

You want to see a strong, liberal Russia without sparing a minute to think whether this is in fact wanted by most Russians. You can't shape reality to your fantasies. Some countries are not built to be liberal democracies and there's nothing wrong with that. Comfort yourself that you're not the IMF so this knowledge came to you at a significantly lower price.

Anonymous wrote:One of the problems with Russia is that those who want change - well-educated professionals like OP presumably - having been leaving Russia in droves since the invasion of Ukraine. Who is left to march on the streets demanding democracy? The Russians that remain are proving to be very docile and meek. The casualties that Russians are taking in Ukraine are breathtaking. Hundreds of thousands of Russian men are just gone. In any other country, governments would have been toppled over this pointless slaughter. There would be revolutions. But not Russia. And there will never be meaningful change unless it is internally driven. And that does not seem to be happening. I think the only hope for real change is the economic collapse of Russia. But that brings chaos with unknown outcomes.

-op here- you bring up a good point, but far too many want to see a full collapse of russia, and are far too naive to think it would be a good idea to let the largest nuclear power on earth fail. economic collapse would be the most viable option, but russia has suffered so much because of abusive and either weak or merciless regimes, and i dont want to see my home country in a second October revolution, where either a freedom loving regime could rise up, or another soviet union.

One of the problems with Russia is that those who want change - well-educated professionals like OP presumably - having been leaving Russia in droves since the invasion of Ukraine. Who is left to march on the streets demanding democracy? The Russians that remain are proving to be very docile and meek. The casualties that Russians are taking in Ukraine are breathtaking. Hundreds of thousands of Russian men are just gone. In any other country, governments would have been toppled over this pointless slaughter. There would be revolutions. But not Russia. And there will never be meaningful change unless it is internally driven. And that does not seem to be happening. I think the only hope for real change is the economic collapse of Russia. But that brings chaos with unknown outcomes.

The hypocrisy is astounding
this OP can’t seem to grasp the complexities of the situation in Russia and instead leans into a narrative that minimizes the real suffering of ordinary people. It’s easy to talk about wanting change and a liberal Russia when you’re safely outside the country, but let’s not forget that many Russians, which you "claim" to be one, are living under a regime that silences dissent and crushes any hope for democracy.

You describe having endured so much, and I can only imagine how difficult it is to deal with what’s going on in Russia and the reactions you face here. It’s frustrating when people don’t get the complexities, and you wanting change and a better future is admirable as heck, but i don’t think it’ll ever happen. Like you said.

As a Russian myself, I have seen far too much support for the war in Ukraine. It's bloody and a waste of resources. The main point I want to get across is that Russia is NOT a democracy and should stop being seen as one. I have honestly tried voting for someone else in Russia's "elections," but I had to move OUT of Russia to escape any punishment, a topic I will return to later. Russia has massive potential to be a Western democracy. I want to see a strong, liberal Russia with basic human infrastructure, but as long as Putin is in power, that will NEVER happen. I really want to see Putin get ousted, but until someone manages to get him out (which is nearly impossible because of the military backing him), Russia will never be a democratic power.

Changing topics, when I tried to move out of Russia, the EU made it notoriously hard, and since the Ukraine-Russia war, I have experienced tons of "Russophobia," both online and in person. I have received tons of criticism and hate for just being born in Russia, and many people dismiss me without hearing me out. I understand that the Ukraine-Russia war is brutal, and Russia's unprovoked attack was and is a horrible thing, but many Russians, like me, just want to live their lives. I made only around $456 in Rostov-on-Don, and the only thing keeping me afloat was the combined paychecks of my close family. If even one of them got arrested, I would have been doomed to lose the small house I had. Overall, I just want to see a strong, liberal Russia that wants to keep the working class and below in a livable and content state, rather than the pathetic excuse for a democracy it is today.