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Comment by badkmw | Hacker News Reader

This is some coping by MSM propaganda, lying between their bottoms. And with the advent of AI and chatgpt, this is just going to get worse!

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Unfortunately for Russians, the fact they allowed their country to invade a peaceful neighbor in an unprovoked war of aggression and then repeatedly lied about almost every facet of that invasion means that the rest of the world will likely not give them the benefit of the doubt for another 50 years, even if they magically start telling the truth right now.

> Russians...they allowed their country to invade...

Considering that ~99.99% of Russians had neither any say in the "invade or not?" decision, nor meaningful advanced notice of the invasion...this might not be the best way to frame things.

I'd take the [cough] patriotic zeal and [snort] heroic vigor with which 99.99% of Russian citizens resisted the criminal Prigozhin's doomed coup attempt as the best evidence of their real feelings on the subject.

The invasion started in 2014. There are people who understood back then and protested. There were also active supporters and people who believed the government that ukrainians engaged in a genocide of russians. But forget about them.

Most of techies and people I know have been what counts as "supporters by default". They don't watch TV, don't listen to what government says, read western media and low key ridicule putin. They knew something is going on but did not care to understand and protest what's happening. It's "politics" to them and they are "above" it. Me included.

I am only catching up now after the war entered this phase in 2022. But with no GFW like in China nothing prevented me from becoming aware earlier and doing whatever (protesting, emigrating) except my own convenience.

Some people still don't get it really. They just left the country to evade mandatory conscription end of last year. They continue to be supporters by default in other countries.

I think you're underestimating the support for this war from Russian populace

Putin has been in power for 20 years and the invasions of Georgia and Crimea gave all evidence necessary that he had imperialistic goals.

Considering the pride Russians proclaim regarding their role in defeating a WWII dictator, it's ironic they refuse to lift a finger to handle the one they raised and enabled at home.

Prigozhin being cheered.

https://www.rferl.org/a/prigozhin-wagner-cheered-leaving-ros...

Wagner, his mercenary army, selling sledgehammers as home decorations. For those not familiar with how Wagner treats its deserters, they are hunted down, tortured and then have their head bashed in with a sledgehammer.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/03/19/wagner-mer...

The exact split of Russians who aren't in favor of the war is surely difficult to determine. But it's not so high that Russians have had a revolution over it. Yet. And unlike 1992, Russian revolutions are usually very violent, and have often resulted from failed wars. Russians don't like being revealed to be losers. I guess.

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