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Tue, 14 Mar 2023 18:46:32 +0100

jonn@social.doma.dev

Most russians behave as if putin himself holds their children hostage and the moment you say the w- word, they block you on mastodon.

What a bunch of cowards.

show all 10 comments

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 18:56:42 +0100

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

@Jonn @івась тарасик Well, in fact Putin is holding their children hostage. If your children happen to be male and not ethnically Russian, they might get sent to the meatgrinder in Ukraine at any time.

I can understand why many Russians would rather not discuss the W-word in public, the FSB will probably read along.

Calling them cowards is too easy, sitting in a safe place where Putin can't reach. I think I'd be very careful too if I lived in Russia.

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:01:55 +0100

Jons Mostovojs

jonn@social.doma.dev

@hans @tivasyk putin can trivially reach people in any country. And he does. Read up on Tumso Abdurakhmanov, for example.

Believe me, for the stuff me and my friends are doing, *that* regime can send hit squads.

Your logic is the same as the logic of "Abwer has eyes everywhere" from #WW2 times. It simply isn't true.

Also, some cells WITHIN russia that I just know of and worked with, work every day to increase the awareness of fellow countryfolk and help them do the morally (and pragmatically!) right thing.

P.S.

Surprised to see a Dutch person having so much compassion towards those who willingly or unwillingly contribute to a fascist regime waging genocide.

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:09:19 +0100

Jons Mostovojs

jonn@social.doma.dev

@hans @tivasyk

P.P.S.

My toot mostly meant to address russians in the west, but ok.

Also, lol, your arguments are exactly the reason why russians inside russia have to rise up.

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:15:45 +0100

Jons Mostovojs

jonn@social.doma.dev

@hans @tivasyk oh, I remembered one more incident. @easternborder recently got bombed by a russian hit squad in Latvia.

So yes, calling us jerks for calling russians cowards is too easy, sitting in a safe place where putin won't reach. I think I'd be more active if I lived in Netherlands. :D

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:20:57 +0100

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

@Jonn This kind of reaction makes me think it's your tone that causes them to block you ;-)

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:26:47 +0100

Jons Mostovojs

jonn@social.doma.dev

@hans you can tone-check my reaponse to one of them yourself. I wouldn't mind hearing your take.

As for the mild ad hominem in my toots, it wasn't meant as one. I've recently been to Netherlands and I've found that people didn't forget the Hunger Winter yet and that people aren't too tolerant to fascism, fascist collaboration or contributors.

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:30:50 +0100

Jons Mostovojs

jonn@social.doma.dev

@hans tone-check welcome:

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:38:33 +0100

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

@Jonn

Surprised to see a Dutch person having so much compassion towards those who willingly or unwillingly contribute to a fascist regime waging genocide.

I have absolutely no compassion for people who willingly support a regime like Hitler's or Putin's, none whatsoever.

But I can understand that a lot of people would rather keep quiet and hope to weather the storm without ending in jail or at the front.

We agree that it's the brave, like Marina Ovsyannikova, who can start a revolt against the dictator. Those are the heroes; people like Navalny, who won't be silenced even though there's a very real chance they'll pay for it with their lives.

We call those people brave for a reason: they are not the same as the majority of people. The majority of people would choose life over speaking up, and although I hope the Russian people will rise up and end Putin's dictatorship, I can understand why many don't dare.

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:44:59 +0100

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

@Jonn The tone in that screenshot is rather unfriendly, I can understand why someone would hit the "block" button. Without the context of the discussion leading up to this specific post, it's impossible for me to understand why he would feel the need to emphasize that you don't know him well enough to pass judgement.

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 02:41:46 +0100

Jons Mostovojs

jonn@social.doma.dev

@hans I see your perspective, I can't agree with the assessment of navalny, but leaving this aside, how come Iranian women are protesting then? Are Iranian women somehow special? I don't think so.

I think that "central" russians simply feel like they have too much to lose and "rural" russians simply support the regime.

You can make up your mind by watching the raw materials that channels like 1420 and Отдельная Цивилизация who publish unomitted content where they interview random russians in the streets. Отдельная Цивилизация doesn't have English translation, but I can make it for you if you want to hear what "rural" russians themselves have to say.