What makes you think that? The Russian government just poisoned another opposition thinker, these things are not beyond the pale. North Korea hired a couple of pretty girls to kill a renegade brother or somesuch in public. China has disappeared people over just a few wrong words

If I were in that position I'd make sure I have at least a couple bodyguards, and good ones at that

Fascist states often differ little from low budget spy movies.

Spoon-fed propaganda does that to people. It’s easy to fall into a black or white binary “good” vs “evil” trap, which clouds peoples judgement and makes them overlook the nuances that are in every dispute.