I don't know how i would have acted in their toes but i think i would still be held morally responsible if i just say that politics is none of my business because i'm the head of a software shop while my country is trying to annex a neighbour.
When the US illegally invaded Iraq, if I remember well people's reaction was to rename French fries to Freedom fries. I don't remember any business condemning the war.
If the parent comment wasn't clear enough, the consequence for openly criticizing the government in Russia is death. Demanding that others be a martyr while you stay safe from harm is a bit too much, don't you think?
Iirc, the sentence is more like 5 years in prison than death.
Get too much attention and it'll turn into extrajudicial killing.
Ah, indeed - can't be too high-profile. I watch candid interviews of random Russians on the street fairly frequently, and the fear of the sentence is nearly ubiquitous.