A random phone call from a U.S. citizen might look suspicious, and I don't imagine Russian police are giving much benefit of the doubt right now.
I find the symmetrism you represent ridiculous.
How do we know the Earth isn't flat? Maybe flat-earthers are right? How do we know if santa claus exist? Well, we gather data and apply reasoning to that data...
I'm certain you spend a while evaluating and debating those arguments.
I had a Jehovah's witness visit me once, and unlike most people I did talk to her. She made some arguments, I counter-argued that I don't believe things without a proof, she asked me if I believe that air exists, and she followed my confirmation with the statement "but you can't see it" - to which I responded that I actually can see both the air directly (just like you can see foil laminate if you stack it into multiple layers) as well as indirectly through various experiments. She had no response to that, other than handing me a flyer, which I accepted.
Well if Russians in general are similar to you, this strategy may work. If they are similar to me, I'd guess it will not work. It seems only time can tell how effective the strategy will be.
Think of it like DDOS-ing their internal security apperatus.
Parent commenter pointed out that making a bunch of unsolicited calls to Russians is counter productive. Proclaiming “something must be done!!” Might make you personally feel better, but that’s not a good thing if it only comes at a detriment to others.
Seriously, how do you respond to unsolicited phone calls? This plan is half baked and will only harden the resolve of people who don’t already agree with the western point of view, and get people who do agree arrested.
I take umbrage at the notion I can’t critique a bad idea unless I’m some sort of saint.
What are YOU doing better?
Sometimes action driven by good intent that does not lead to a desired outcome can serve as a precursor to more effective action. While I too think this is probably not a good idea, i do also wonder if it is so meaningless, why does Russian government need to suppress information, news, and discussion among their citizens in the first place?
How many Americans would have responded well to unsolicited calls in 2003 from Iranians saying the Iraq war was misguided?
The condescension was in response to the assertion that not making said calls was equivalent to letting Ukrainians die, which is ridiculous.
Imagine being a Putin bootlicker and then still getting thrown in prison because of a suspicious phone call. I guess these people really do want to go back to the Soviet Era, eh?
Acting together, we can reach out to hundreds of thousands of individuals. The Russian police cannot arrest all who are contacted, and even if they try, all of that time, money and manpower that they pour into policing is time, money and manpower that is taken away from brutalizing people in Ukraine.
So even if someone is arrested; even if they are imprisoned -- they can be proud to know that they have done something tangible and significant to help save lives.