I just don't get it. What's stopping a hundred truckers to blockade Kremlin, with the help of opposition parties?
"On December 16, three days after the introduction of the martial law in Poland, pro-Solidarity miners striking against the declaration of the martial law by General Wojciech Jaruzelski were dispersed by the troops of the Polish army and police. The forces used in the main thrust against the miners consisted of eight companies of riot police (ZOMO, supported by ORMO (police reservists) and NOMO) with seven water cannons, three companies of military infantry fighting vehicles (each of 10 vehicles) and one company of tanks. The miners repeatedly fought them off with their tools. During the brawl a number of strikers and 41 troops were injured, including 11 severely.
In the apex of the events, a commando-type special platoon of ZOMO opened the "shoot to kill" fire at the strikers, killing nine of them (Jan Stawisiński, Joachim Gnida, Józef Czekalski, Krzysztof Giza, Ryszard Gzik, Bogusław Kopczak, Andrzej Pełka, Zbigniew Wilk and Zenon Zając) and wounding 21 others. "
another one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Polish_protests
"The protests were sparked by a sudden increase in the prices of food and other everyday items. Strikes were put down by the Polish People's Army and the Citizen's Militia, resulting in at least 44 people killed and more than 1,000 wounded."
Pretty much ALL major developed western countries went through such revolutions to earn their freedom. It is time for you to go get it.
You realise that you're asking innocent people to risk violence and potentially even give up their lives, to protest an invasion by a despot that they had little opportunity to oppose right? It's pretty easy to take credit for the bravery and fortitude that your predecessors had to bring about their revolutions from the comfort of your first-world home at little to no risk to yourself.
Honestly, this seems like the most out of touch call to action that I've ever heard. Also, it only starts to feel even more hypocritical when you realise that there have been several anti-war protests going on in Russia, for which the participants faced brutal violence at the hands of the state.
The difference between Russia and Ukraine is exactly this. Ukrainians fought for their country in 2014 - called a coup in Russian media. https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/htt...
It was deadly, the consequences are felt even today. But they are proud of their land, they love their leader. Their country is theirs and they were willing to oust the ruling class to secure their own country.
Honestly, enough with the justifications. The cushy western life didn't come easy.
When prominent leader of "opposition" Navalny was asked about returning Crimea to Ukraine after Putin, answer was "It is not a sandwich to pass it back and forth".
Note that while I oppose the seizing of people‘s bank accounts by Trudeau with every fibre of my body, this whataboutism is easily defused:
Using these kind of soft power moves (basically doing things in the non-meat space) is precisely why Canada is still a liberal democracy.
Even if you became the state‘s enemy #1, the worst that happens is… your bank account is temporarily disabled, overtly (not a clandestine operation, so you can challenge it legally, protest it, etc).
This is completely different from Russia, where you just… disappear (ie you get killed).
I watched some aftermath footage of the vacated streets of Ottawa, the day after they were cleared out. There was no sign of any damage. Not a broken window or anything. I didn't see garbage on the ground. The commentators of the news clips I watched, though decidedly biased against the protesters, didn't remark upon anything like that.