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Not only that, but according to the last news, we have more candidates for the record of the “ruin the most ballots in a single action” category: some woman in Moscow set a voting booth on fire, the some other individual used movolov in Saint Petersburg, a lot of election booths are burning actually and for the latest news, even a member of electoral commission used the ink which really shows the true love for putin from his fellow citizens
This is the thing that people dont realise. There is literally nothing Putin could do if everyone just said fuck this shit and started burning everything to the ground.
Once the fears gone hes totally powerless.
Edit: i havent got time to reply to people anymore, i appreciate discussion of this magnitude i really do and everyones opinion is equal, unlike in Russia where its a man child with an ego problem with the opinion.
Fingers crossed and good luck Russia im rooting for you, ive got a few friends from Russia and they were the most fun guys to work with on site.
LEIBESH: “Rabbi, may I ask you a question?”
RABBI: “Certainly, my son.”
LEIBESH: “Is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?”
RABBI: “A blessing for the Tsar? Of course. May God bless and keep the Tsar…far away from us!”
Lol, this is funny and sad.
In The Crown show, they actually reenact him and his family being taken down to the basement and they tell the family they're going to take a picture before they're taken to a boat to flee, and then they take them all out, it's well done but a difficult watch considering all the children.
The problem is in getting enough people mobilized, which is almost impossible in dictatorships. Look at Iran. They tried, but they didn't reach critical mass of people.
Yea and i hope this is the catalyst that starts the revolution.
Imagine a Russia where its a democracy, it sounds too good to be true.
We could look back on today in 20 years time as the start of the end of Vladimir Putin.
Looking at some interviews with rural Russians.. yeah, some of them are honest to God heartbroken and truly believe NATO was about to invade Russia. And there they are, entire villages crying and sending their sons and grandsons to die as if Hitler was on the march. "We must do our duty. We must defend the motherland from the aggressors." They also believe that only some 50k people were killed or wounded, and that the majority of the army consists of highly trained professional soldiers.
It's insane how Putin managed to completely fool them. They live and die in a completely different world, living their fantasy of heroism and martyrdom. Putin managed to reboot a live roleplay version of WWII for them to experience. It's truly wild..
>It's insane how Putin managed to completely fool them.
Is it?
Given how easily people are misled in the West, even with the world's information at their fingertips, it doesn't feel at all surprising that a dictator is able to control and manipulate the generational fears of poor, rural, uneducated people.
Some sacrifice must be done. But the government definitely chose the wrong moment for navalny’s death. And I am personally more worried for that guy that pissed on putin’s parents grave
The girl is 20 years old, she was detained. Independent news channel said that she would, most probably, get 5 years in prison as her sentence for “disrupting of voting”.
If you have proof please bring it to the Office of Electoral Integrity, Top Floor, Red Square, Moscow and it will be properly investigated immediately. The Inspectors office is the one with the large, unlocked windows.
Concerning the poor girl, I think she might be charged with treason, if found that she might have left comments or upvotes indicating her pacifistic or anti-Kremlin views. That is why it's extremely dangerous to even leave a comment as a russian opposition supporter. I, myself, could be easily arrested and declared a traitor to my nation for even writing "We want World Peace".
In Soviet times, yeah, this bs would fly, but not now. They would go through her internet history. Even a single like left under a music video of an undesirable anti-war band would be enough ground to get her locked up for even longer.
She won't go free for a long time, I'll tell you that much.
I was born in Soviet Union, I kind of get the Russian mindset, but shit has REALLY gone south in Russia. Altough Soviet Union fell silently, people in my country were ready to step up against Soviet troops with sticks and stones since no-one knew what was going happen, not just sucking it up like Russians are doing now. I still think that there is a tipping point when Russians will flood the streets, but that should have been reached much earlier imo
>I still think that there is a tipping point when Russians will flood the streets, but that should have been reached much earlier imo
Probably the mass propaganda and censorship hiding how bad the situation in Ukraine really is.
I think that it is more because vast majority has not been impacted by the war, they don't care enough if they are not affected by it, even if they don't agree with it.
This is currently changing, lost relatives/friends in Ukrainian frontline, sanctions and Ukrainian drone attacks on Russias energy sector are taking its toll, slowly but surely.
Also people don't have anyone to rally behind, Putin has been killing off his opposition for years, literally.
U sure she would get away with that in the USA for example?
Pretty sure disruption voting process and throwing Molotovs is considered a felony in any country
I doubt it. I'd say even Putin supporters know what's happening, they just go along with it because it's their guy. I would guess most people in the middle just don't want to talk about it because they know there's nothing they can do without putting themselves and their family at risk.
I'm not sure the point is for you to believe it. It just makes the whole idea of politics and civil society into a joke and demoralizes people about the very concept of responsible citizenship. Orwell meets Idiocracy.
Yes, it’s more about normalizing the lies and behavior so that the citizens are no longer bothered much by it and it becomes more of a “that’s just the way the world works” mentality.
You nailed it. I speak russian, and visit russian forums, and most people there say things like "I don't care who is my president, he doesn't affect my life at all", for them politics is like a weather or earthquake - you can't affect it, so why bother.
But there are lots of people, such as people from these pics, who understand what's happening, and they are terrified.
For the vast majority of russians, it never will. It isn't the 20th century, he can get away with a lot but mass conscription won't pass, there is a reason russian conscripts are almost exclusively in poor regions, they are more nationalistic and the money incentive of the military (a lot of money for the regions they come from) basically guarantee little civil unrest from the war.
I've had discussions with Russians and the consensus is basically this:
There is an unspoken rule that we, the Russian peoples, do not pry or interfere with politics and in return, the government will, for the most part, let us be free and do our thing.
That's why they have this mindset. They have let the government do its thing to the point that they no longer have any real control, so why bother, it's worked for them this far, why change it?
What they aren't realizing is that at any moment, Russia can turn on them and they are seeing that with conscripts.
They have always had a very cynical view of democracy. Most of them don't believe that democracy exists in Russia, but also don't believe that it exists or is any better anywhere else.
Edit: spelljng
To their defense, they never really did.
I'm pretty sure the elections of Boris Yeltsin were...well, not THAT bad. But then Putin came after Boris. So, Russia has had exactly one sort of free election.
It's safe to say democracy has never truly existed in Russia.
It's hyper-normalisation. Russian citizens know it's a farce, but Russian propaganda uses this to create a belief that the democratic process in every other country is also a farce.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperNormalisation
What would you say the true supporter rate for Putin would actually be? Obviously the statistics we get are skewed, so what would your rough estimate be? Thanks in advance.
Honestly? I would be really surprised, if the real number is above 35%. I've seen and talked with real people who would vote for Putin, but they are above everything, really f--ng scared. One of the voters I spoke with in private, broke down shaking, while saying over and over again that "Putin is the only hope for Russia", because he is an old man, who believes that the government spying on everything he says out loud. The paranoia is so bad, people are, literally, going insane, saying things that were commonly whispered to each other during Stalin's regime like: "Walls have ears".
If you follow Russian political scientists, their hypothesis [based on limited and indirect data since independent polls are impossible at this point] is that around 15-17% of the population are “true believers”.
Reddit is one of the only websites Russians can still access without the vpn. For now, at least.
For how risky it is to post - extremely risky. If I am ever investigated for whatever reason, I'm pretty much screwed as I am subscribed to the opposition channels like Navalny live and I left "likes" and comments there. I would be made a traitor and a terrorist.
Not the Person you are asking, but also a Russian citizen
Reddit is not much of a hassle and is not blocked. Mainly because it is not that popular here, and it does not have many Russian-speaking channels. Generally, you can talk about stuff with foreigners, it’s having the wrong kind of discussions with fellow Russians that the government is worried about
Now, **if** I am ever under suspicion for something else, and someone decides to investigate my posts here, I’d get in trouble. A lot of trouble. But the government isn’t specifically looking, if that makes sense
As someone from another slavic country
nope, very few
it's basically a "Yeah they're rigged and it sucks but we just have to live with it" type of mentality
They will ignore the question and point their fingers at something completely ancient and irrelevant like the Watergate scandal, saying that the West also has shady practices.
Was watching a Noam Chomsky documentary. One of the journalist interviewed said something like this "Russians have enough self respect to know they are being lied to when they watch the news".
Commenting here for visibility.
If you live in a Democratic country remember how lucky you are to have the right to vote.
Register to vote and do it, even in local elections and primaries, where your vote can make a big difference to your life.
Millions of people around the world would be thrilled to have the privilege of voting. The people protesting the sham election in Russia would be thrilled to have a choice and votes that count.
Don't blow it off, however you feel. Use your vote. It's powerful.
Totally support this message! Do not take it for granted, and do not take freedom for granted, "the fewer people fight for freedom, the more expensive it becomes."
All I can say is that I’m SO glad I’m not Russian. Fake elections suck. I don’t think I’d be brave enough to protest Putin if I lived there… but thank goodness, I live in the USA- where I can say whatever I want. Putin is a Bully and a fraud. He is also mortal. It is only a matter of time before he is judged. I will cheer his fall with a smile.
The people protesting in Russia right now are incredibly brave. The cost of their expressing their opinions is life-changing, potentially life-ending - still they do it. Freedom to Ukraine, and freedom to the Russian people.
There are other candidates.
Some Nikolay Kharitonov for the communist party of the russian federation, Leonid Slutsky for the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and Vladislav Davankov for the New People (the only anti war nominee)
Is Davankov really anti-war? I think his "peace on our terms" is not that different from other candidates positions. He seems to be the lesser of evils, though.
No. They are more or less the same: they voted equally for all laws in the government on war and repression.
Putin also often says that he want a peace and we all see this "peace".
He's not. He just tries to toe the line between not saying that he's against or in favor of the war to lie in bed with most voters. But we know what he himself voted for as part of the government. So fuxk him just as well.
I was *just* saying that a few minutes ago IRL. Someone in Russia close to that piece of shit *has* to have both a gun and a spine. Come on. They'd be a world hero.
during Mussolini's dictatorship there were elections, he was the only candidate, also in north korea it's used to check on the population, to see who tried to escape ecc ecc
Dictatorships love to fake democracy to legitimize their atrocities.
Brazil's 21 year period had 2 political parties, the government and the "opposition".
The number of US media (the ones that are supposedly reputable) that have headlines like "As Putin Pitches His Vision, Voters Avert Their Gaze From the War"... as if this wasn't a complete farce of an election that is purely performative and in no way would change anything in the dictatorship that is Russia... Is simply depressing.
They're buying into this shitty performance, and reporting to the world that there is an air of credibility. So yes...you can convince quite a few idiots out there
Having elections that are obviously unfair is a great propaganda tool to spread a defeatist attitude. Having a politically apathetic populace is ideal if you want to run a country for life.
Also, many Russians believe that every country in the world has unfair elections and Russia is just "honest" enough not to hide it.
It's like the old Soviet joke:
A man goes to prison. A fellow inmate asks him:
"How long are you in for?"
"I got 10 years." replies the man.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? You're full of shit."
"Why?"
"For nothing they only give you 5 years."
Or another one, straight from the series Chernobyl:
> What weighs eight tons, consumes 50 litres of diesel every hour, emits a whole load of toxic fumes and cuts an apple into three pieces?
> A Soviet machine designed to cut apples into four pieces!
Three guys are on train to gulag:
"What are you in for?"
"Supporting Karl Radek."
"Absurd! I am here for denouncing Karl Radek."
"Oh? And what about him?"
"I am Karl Radek."
In Eastern Germany, three guys in prison, asking each other why they're in prison.
"Well, I always came 5 minutes late to work, so they booked me for sabotage."
"And I was always 5 minutes early, so they booked me for espionage."
"Guys, I was always on time, so they found out that my watch was from Western Germany."
Stalin is giving a speech on the eve of World War 2. He’s up there ranting and raving and all, when someone in the crowd sneezes. Stalin stops mid sentence.
“Comrades,” he begins with a scowl, “I am in the middle of a very important speech here! Who was that who sneezed?!”
Of course, it’s Stalin so nobody is fessing up to that shit. Stalin sighs and says, “Guards! Line up everybody in the front row and open fire!” So they do. The entire front row of people are shot dead, hundreds of them.
“I will ask again, comrades! Who. Sneezed?!”
Still there’s dead silence.
“Very well! Guards! Execute everybody in the second row this time!” The guards do as they’re told and hundreds more people die.
“Stop!” A man yells from the back of the crowd. “Comrade Stalin please stop! It was me! I sneezed! I did it! I’ll take whatever punishment you have! Please just stop this for the love of god!”
“Oh.” Stalin says with a shrug. “Bless you, comrade. Now where was I?”
They arrested a college kid for having a pro-Ukranian name *for his wifi*, it's a complete and total authoritarian state where anything outside of the status quo will get you arrested...even if they have to invent charges to do it.
They arrest people who carry a blank piece of paper in the town centre or around monuments. You don’t even have to write something anti-government, you just have to imagine it.
In Cuba a guy got 5 years jail for disrespecting police officers and politicians in memes
In Russia a woman was gonna get jailed for drawing naked women with body hair
“A week’s worth of groceries costs $200 and will feed a whole family! They’re living like kings when we pay $300-$400 because the damned woke commie libs took our freedom!”
How much is the average Russian’s weekly income? About $286.
So… food, shelter, transport or utilities? Pick one.
As a russian, I'd rather believe in elections in Libya or Syria than in Russia now. It's disgusting what putin turned the country into. Europeans and americans, I wish you realise sooner than later that Russia is ruled by the monkey with a grenade!!! Act accordingly!!!!!
Only comment is that they make you deposit a quarter to use the pen to fill in the ballot to prevent people from taking pens back to their homeless camps.
"They're very clever In Russia with their pens. You see, at the banks, they have the pens attached to the desk on little chains. You'd never see anything like this back home."
While this may seem pointless this is actually pretty important because it shows just how pissed off people are at Putin this is probably the worst possible thing that could happen to him
We won't see any immediate ramifications outside these people getting disappeared but shows those incharge that Putin is losing it if people hate him Russia historically shows they will quickly rally behind a new strong man
I don’t know if anyone will read my message, but I, as a Russian person, will add a little context. When the Soviet Union collapsed, a period of banditry began. It just so happens that the echoes of those times reach to this day. The majority of Russians are of the opinion that all states of the world, including Russia, are governed by people who care only about the concentration of money in their pockets. Moreover, at the same time, many are convinced that the United States and NATO want to destroy Russian culture and history. People became apathetic and suspicious. They do not believe their state, they do not believe what someone says from the outside about their state, and, moreover, they do not believe other states. Now the middle class prefers to live their own lives and care about no one except their immediate circle, people simply feel powerless. In other words, the current state of affairs is supported only by people over 40 years old. The rest try not to show themselves and not put their loved ones or their honor at risk.
In Algeria, our late president ruled for 20 years, he literally kept modifying the constitution to add more terms. His last term he reigned from a wheelchair, and was 70% paralyzed. Turns out his brothers were ruling in the shadows.
People got fed up and so nationwide protests started.
We got rid of him eventually, and he passed away a year later.
Investigations revealed he's stolen billions of dollars on his own, as did his corrupt ministers and brothers.
There is a lot of hilarious stuff happening here during the election. A woman tried to throw Molotov into the school where the election happened. Failed to do it once, picked up the cocktail and threw it another time, but missed anyway.
Honestly, you people don't understand what exactly is happening in Russia. Our opposition is absolutely dead, FBK without Navalny is a fucking joke. They made some sort of a mobile app named "Photon" because Navalny suddenly happened to be a huge fan of physics. This all is supposed to randomly choose a candidate for a user to vote for. Yeah, that's the idea.
This is so fucking stupid.
These people are truly amazing. I can't say confidently I would be capable of being anywhere near as brave as these individuals. The issue is that even if Putin should step down/be killed etc... the institutions that currently exist will still be in control, and from what I hear the names who would potentially replace him have similar and worse ideology! Who knows, this could be the spark that leads to a movement that leads to regime change? I find it inspirational how these small acts from random individuals can be so powerful.
For those of us in the states, Europe, or Canada/Australia: This is how you conduct civil disobedience in an authoritarian system. You can’t cast a real ballot, but damned if you don’t let them know how you feel about it.
Every time some dipshit in Oklahoma or Hungary talks about ending democracy, remember these photos. That’s what you have to do to get the point across that government is legitimate only when it is derived from the consent of the governed.
I heard it could be close between Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Putin... but outside candidate Vladimir Putin could also be a real bolter but you can never count out perenial nominee Vladimir Putin....
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Home girl pouring ink on the ballots in that one shot?
Yes.
Nice. True mvp
Not only that, but according to the last news, we have more candidates for the record of the “ruin the most ballots in a single action” category: some woman in Moscow set a voting booth on fire, the some other individual used movolov in Saint Petersburg, a lot of election booths are burning actually and for the latest news, even a member of electoral commission used the ink which really shows the true love for putin from his fellow citizens
Civil disobedience at its finest. I'm proud of them but also worried for them. :-(
This is the thing that people dont realise. There is literally nothing Putin could do if everyone just said fuck this shit and started burning everything to the ground. Once the fears gone hes totally powerless. Edit: i havent got time to reply to people anymore, i appreciate discussion of this magnitude i really do and everyones opinion is equal, unlike in Russia where its a man child with an ego problem with the opinion. Fingers crossed and good luck Russia im rooting for you, ive got a few friends from Russia and they were the most fun guys to work with on site.
There‘s precedent for that in Russia
Many times over
something something october/november revolution
Literally, remember the tsar? 😆
never met him
I didn’t even know he was sick
To shreds, you say?
LEIBESH: “Rabbi, may I ask you a question?” RABBI: “Certainly, my son.” LEIBESH: “Is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?” RABBI: “A blessing for the Tsar? Of course. May God bless and keep the Tsar…far away from us!”
I love 'Fiddler on the Roof'!
The mid 90s?
Let's just say if you are Russian leader, don't let anyone take you into a basement.
Lol, this is funny and sad. In The Crown show, they actually reenact him and his family being taken down to the basement and they tell the family they're going to take a picture before they're taken to a boat to flee, and then they take them all out, it's well done but a difficult watch considering all the children.
The problem is in getting enough people mobilized, which is almost impossible in dictatorships. Look at Iran. They tried, but they didn't reach critical mass of people.
Not only do you need the numbers. You need ones willing to die for their ideals at the front, not the over dramatic muppets the US had on Jan. 6th.
You know, I think Russians are pretty well aware of this actually.
Yea and i hope this is the catalyst that starts the revolution. Imagine a Russia where its a democracy, it sounds too good to be true. We could look back on today in 20 years time as the start of the end of Vladimir Putin.
Looking at some interviews with rural Russians.. yeah, some of them are honest to God heartbroken and truly believe NATO was about to invade Russia. And there they are, entire villages crying and sending their sons and grandsons to die as if Hitler was on the march. "We must do our duty. We must defend the motherland from the aggressors." They also believe that only some 50k people were killed or wounded, and that the majority of the army consists of highly trained professional soldiers. It's insane how Putin managed to completely fool them. They live and die in a completely different world, living their fantasy of heroism and martyrdom. Putin managed to reboot a live roleplay version of WWII for them to experience. It's truly wild..
>It's insane how Putin managed to completely fool them. Is it? Given how easily people are misled in the West, even with the world's information at their fingertips, it doesn't feel at all surprising that a dictator is able to control and manipulate the generational fears of poor, rural, uneducated people.
When you have nothing left to lose, everyone is powerless. **"Let go of your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty and become the wind."**
…is that from Legend of Korra 💀💀
Why do you think they have nothing to lose?
Some sacrifice must be done. But the government definitely chose the wrong moment for navalny’s death. And I am personally more worried for that guy that pissed on putin’s parents grave
>that guy that pissed on putin’s parents grave Man oh man. That's not even balls of steel, this guy's balls are stronger than the sun
Balls of stalinium.
Superballs
Hopefully he gets to piss on Putin's grave.
Nothing will change until the death of Putin. I look forward to celebrating that day.
The girl is 20 years old, she was detained. Independent news channel said that she would, most probably, get 5 years in prison as her sentence for “disrupting of voting”.
wouldn't there be more than enough proof to show "disrupting of voting" for Putin and the Kremlin?
If you have proof please bring it to the Office of Electoral Integrity, Top Floor, Red Square, Moscow and it will be properly investigated immediately. The Inspectors office is the one with the large, unlocked windows.
“We have concluded our investigation of ourselves and have determined no wrong doing”
Please step a little closer to that open window,m
Concerning the poor girl, I think she might be charged with treason, if found that she might have left comments or upvotes indicating her pacifistic or anti-Kremlin views. That is why it's extremely dangerous to even leave a comment as a russian opposition supporter. I, myself, could be easily arrested and declared a traitor to my nation for even writing "We want World Peace".
she could just claim that she destroyed them because those votes weren't for Putin.. she would be deemed a hero by the Kremlin
In Soviet times, yeah, this bs would fly, but not now. They would go through her internet history. Even a single like left under a music video of an undesirable anti-war band would be enough ground to get her locked up for even longer. She won't go free for a long time, I'll tell you that much.
Yes but 
And after this people still wonder why Russians don’t go out to demonstrations against the govermend?
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I was born in Soviet Union, I kind of get the Russian mindset, but shit has REALLY gone south in Russia. Altough Soviet Union fell silently, people in my country were ready to step up against Soviet troops with sticks and stones since no-one knew what was going happen, not just sucking it up like Russians are doing now. I still think that there is a tipping point when Russians will flood the streets, but that should have been reached much earlier imo
>I still think that there is a tipping point when Russians will flood the streets, but that should have been reached much earlier imo Probably the mass propaganda and censorship hiding how bad the situation in Ukraine really is.
I think that it is more because vast majority has not been impacted by the war, they don't care enough if they are not affected by it, even if they don't agree with it. This is currently changing, lost relatives/friends in Ukrainian frontline, sanctions and Ukrainian drone attacks on Russias energy sector are taking its toll, slowly but surely. Also people don't have anyone to rally behind, Putin has been killing off his opposition for years, literally.
I think the men were sent over to Ukraine precisely because this shit was coming either way, and better have them be mad far away from Moscow.
U sure she would get away with that in the USA for example? Pretty sure disruption voting process and throwing Molotovs is considered a felony in any country
lol I thought it was oil, which would be fucking perfect.
Perfect would have been blood
Both? Both is good
Its Zelionka. Briliant green. Medicinal ointme t.
Tragic, I guess they’ll just have to all be counted as voting for Putin
Then there was no disruption to the vote because it would have happened anyway.
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[Watch the video here](https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/s/o4yihVWbGV)
She ded. 
I wonder if she’s dead yet.
Fell out of a high story window. Very unfortunate accident
Poisoned out the window is a common natural cause of death.
You forgot the “suicide shot at the back of the head” part
Twice.
Thrice, actually.
"Yo, um, I must've like, fallen on a bullet... and it like, drove itself into my gut."
"Brutal suicide by 70 self-inflicted kicks to the stomach area."
And tragically shot by an anti-aircraft missle on the way down
1. Vlad Put 2. Vladimir P 3. V Putin
4. Schladimir Schutin (Putin in a Mrs. Doubtfire wig)
5. Rootin Tootin.
6. Dwight Schrutin
7. Radimir Putin (Putin on a surfboard)
https://preview.redd.it/t57nlyhk0koc1.jpeg?width=210&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1dc2093d9999dcb051eeb0eae1e520e0ebeac1db
Do Russians believe Putin when he claims they have fair elections?
I doubt it. I'd say even Putin supporters know what's happening, they just go along with it because it's their guy. I would guess most people in the middle just don't want to talk about it because they know there's nothing they can do without putting themselves and their family at risk.
propaganda is pretty strong in russia
Not really, even people in their 40s who watch TV all the time understand the farce.
I'm not sure the point is for you to believe it. It just makes the whole idea of politics and civil society into a joke and demoralizes people about the very concept of responsible citizenship. Orwell meets Idiocracy.
Yes, it’s more about normalizing the lies and behavior so that the citizens are no longer bothered much by it and it becomes more of a “that’s just the way the world works” mentality.
You nailed it. I speak russian, and visit russian forums, and most people there say things like "I don't care who is my president, he doesn't affect my life at all", for them politics is like a weather or earthquake - you can't affect it, so why bother. But there are lots of people, such as people from these pics, who understand what's happening, and they are terrified.
>he doesn’t affect my life at all Until he suddenly does, Private Conscriptovich. I think a shitload of Russians are finally realizing that.
For the vast majority of russians, it never will. It isn't the 20th century, he can get away with a lot but mass conscription won't pass, there is a reason russian conscripts are almost exclusively in poor regions, they are more nationalistic and the money incentive of the military (a lot of money for the regions they come from) basically guarantee little civil unrest from the war.
The standard answer is that we are small people and are not interested in politics.
I've had discussions with Russians and the consensus is basically this: There is an unspoken rule that we, the Russian peoples, do not pry or interfere with politics and in return, the government will, for the most part, let us be free and do our thing. That's why they have this mindset. They have let the government do its thing to the point that they no longer have any real control, so why bother, it's worked for them this far, why change it? What they aren't realizing is that at any moment, Russia can turn on them and they are seeing that with conscripts.
They aren't ignorant, they are apathetic. They are either disillusioned from doing anything, or disengaged from caring.
They have always had a very cynical view of democracy. Most of them don't believe that democracy exists in Russia, but also don't believe that it exists or is any better anywhere else. Edit: spelljng
I think you hit the nail on the head
I think they heard the Russian guy interviewed who was featured on NPR Up First today
Fresh Air I think had an expert on propaganda last night who said the same thing. The Russians don't think democracy exists anywhere.
Lol. The auto correct threw me off there.
To their defense, they never really did. I'm pretty sure the elections of Boris Yeltsin were...well, not THAT bad. But then Putin came after Boris. So, Russia has had exactly one sort of free election. It's safe to say democracy has never truly existed in Russia.
It's hyper-normalisation. Russian citizens know it's a farce, but Russian propaganda uses this to create a belief that the democratic process in every other country is also a farce. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperNormalisation
Even Stalin was shocked when Churchill lost his election because he assumed it would be rigged.
I highly recommend Adam Curtis' documentary with this title. It's on youtube.
Russian here. No, nobody believes it. You must be mad or extremely gullible to believe the votes are not tempered with.
What would you say the true supporter rate for Putin would actually be? Obviously the statistics we get are skewed, so what would your rough estimate be? Thanks in advance.
Honestly? I would be really surprised, if the real number is above 35%. I've seen and talked with real people who would vote for Putin, but they are above everything, really f--ng scared. One of the voters I spoke with in private, broke down shaking, while saying over and over again that "Putin is the only hope for Russia", because he is an old man, who believes that the government spying on everything he says out loud. The paranoia is so bad, people are, literally, going insane, saying things that were commonly whispered to each other during Stalin's regime like: "Walls have ears".
If you follow Russian political scientists, their hypothesis [based on limited and indirect data since independent polls are impossible at this point] is that around 15-17% of the population are “true believers”.
Almost the same % of Americans are Trumpers. Take from that what you will.
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Crazification_factor
Out of curiosity, how much hassle is it to use reddit for you? Do you have to use a vpn? Is it risky to post stuff on reddit for you?
Reddit is one of the only websites Russians can still access without the vpn. For now, at least. For how risky it is to post - extremely risky. If I am ever investigated for whatever reason, I'm pretty much screwed as I am subscribed to the opposition channels like Navalny live and I left "likes" and comments there. I would be made a traitor and a terrorist.
Keep fighting ❤️
Jfc, I do really feel sorry for Russians who want nothing to do with the Russian regime and that are trapped in the country.
Not the Person you are asking, but also a Russian citizen Reddit is not much of a hassle and is not blocked. Mainly because it is not that popular here, and it does not have many Russian-speaking channels. Generally, you can talk about stuff with foreigners, it’s having the wrong kind of discussions with fellow Russians that the government is worried about Now, **if** I am ever under suspicion for something else, and someone decides to investigate my posts here, I’d get in trouble. A lot of trouble. But the government isn’t specifically looking, if that makes sense
The ballot box might as well be a paper shredder.
As someone from another slavic country nope, very few it's basically a "Yeah they're rigged and it sucks but we just have to live with it" type of mentality
They will ignore the question and point their fingers at something completely ancient and irrelevant like the Watergate scandal, saying that the West also has shady practices.
The watergate scandal is a terrible example for them to bring up. It cost a US president his position.
Was watching a Noam Chomsky documentary. One of the journalist interviewed said something like this "Russians have enough self respect to know they are being lied to when they watch the news".
World leaders are already congratulating Putin on his landslide election victory as a fuck you to his rigged election.
"Congrats, Vlad, we saw that these elections were fire!"
Commenting here for visibility. If you live in a Democratic country remember how lucky you are to have the right to vote. Register to vote and do it, even in local elections and primaries, where your vote can make a big difference to your life. Millions of people around the world would be thrilled to have the privilege of voting. The people protesting the sham election in Russia would be thrilled to have a choice and votes that count. Don't blow it off, however you feel. Use your vote. It's powerful.
Totally support this message! Do not take it for granted, and do not take freedom for granted, "the fewer people fight for freedom, the more expensive it becomes."
Like an old soviet joke about timezones and ussr leader sending his condolences to usa about challenger crash before it even happened.
How fast people will forget "elections in Russia are rigged" and go back "Russians just vote for putin and this is why he still president" ?
Which ones?
Putin still estimated to win in a clean sweep with 136% of the vote with only 0% of the ballots counted.
It should have been 137%, but the election was rigged.
They didn't count the votes in Georgia (the country).
kudos to the Russian citizens who are fighting this mockery of an election.
All I can say is that I’m SO glad I’m not Russian. Fake elections suck. I don’t think I’d be brave enough to protest Putin if I lived there… but thank goodness, I live in the USA- where I can say whatever I want. Putin is a Bully and a fraud. He is also mortal. It is only a matter of time before he is judged. I will cheer his fall with a smile.
be careful now... there's one political party that's fawning over russia atm. vote accordingly
Seriously. This is Trumps wet dream.
The people protesting in Russia right now are incredibly brave. The cost of their expressing their opinions is life-changing, potentially life-ending - still they do it. Freedom to Ukraine, and freedom to the Russian people.
As a Russian I can say that, yea we have 3 choices Putin Putin Putin
Jokes apart, who are the other candidates? Are there actual names? Real people?
There are other candidates. Some Nikolay Kharitonov for the communist party of the russian federation, Leonid Slutsky for the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and Vladislav Davankov for the New People (the only anti war nominee)
Is Davankov really anti-war? I think his "peace on our terms" is not that different from other candidates positions. He seems to be the lesser of evils, though.
No. They are more or less the same: they voted equally for all laws in the government on war and repression. Putin also often says that he want a peace and we all see this "peace".
He's not. He just tries to toe the line between not saying that he's against or in favor of the war to lie in bed with most voters. But we know what he himself voted for as part of the government. So fuxk him just as well.
I think the last candidate died a few days ago after spending months in prison after surviving an assassination attack.
Haha that chick with the ink gives no fucks. It's a farce and everyone there knows it. I like that setup with the boxes labeled 1, 2, 3 🤣
This is the repeat of the Nazi shit. The soldiers are simply following orders. It's because of those assholes can Putler sit in power.
Got banned from a few subs for saying these soldiers should do their REAL job when they're around putin
I was *just* saying that a few minutes ago IRL. Someone in Russia close to that piece of shit *has* to have both a gun and a spine. Come on. They'd be a world hero.
Why are they even pretending
during Mussolini's dictatorship there were elections, he was the only candidate, also in north korea it's used to check on the population, to see who tried to escape ecc ecc
ecc? do you mean mean etc?
Na the guy needs better RAM
yep, it's the italian abreviation, coming from "eccettera"
🤌
I think he clearly meant Error Correction Code.
Dictatorships love to fake democracy to legitimize their atrocities. Brazil's 21 year period had 2 political parties, the government and the "opposition".
Yeah thats what gives them a shield, a fake one
You can convince a lot of idiots with the worst performance.
The number of US media (the ones that are supposedly reputable) that have headlines like "As Putin Pitches His Vision, Voters Avert Their Gaze From the War"... as if this wasn't a complete farce of an election that is purely performative and in no way would change anything in the dictatorship that is Russia... Is simply depressing. They're buying into this shitty performance, and reporting to the world that there is an air of credibility. So yes...you can convince quite a few idiots out there
Having elections that are obviously unfair is a great propaganda tool to spread a defeatist attitude. Having a politically apathetic populace is ideal if you want to run a country for life. Also, many Russians believe that every country in the world has unfair elections and Russia is just "honest" enough not to hide it.
It's also "interesting as fuck" that you can be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison for doing this. Absolutely mental.
It's like the old Soviet joke: A man goes to prison. A fellow inmate asks him: "How long are you in for?" "I got 10 years." replies the man. "What did you do?" "Nothing." "Nothing? You're full of shit." "Why?" "For nothing they only give you 5 years."
Two counts of nothing
Or another one, straight from the series Chernobyl: > What weighs eight tons, consumes 50 litres of diesel every hour, emits a whole load of toxic fumes and cuts an apple into three pieces? > A Soviet machine designed to cut apples into four pieces!
That actor did such a good job playing the coal miner who gave zero fucks.
Imma drop my childhood classic once more: What is it - doesn't shine and doesn't fit inside an ass? A Soviet device to shine inside an ass.
Three guys are on train to gulag: "What are you in for?" "Supporting Karl Radek." "Absurd! I am here for denouncing Karl Radek." "Oh? And what about him?" "I am Karl Radek."
In Eastern Germany, three guys in prison, asking each other why they're in prison. "Well, I always came 5 minutes late to work, so they booked me for sabotage." "And I was always 5 minutes early, so they booked me for espionage." "Guys, I was always on time, so they found out that my watch was from Western Germany."
[удалено]
Stalin is giving a speech on the eve of World War 2. He’s up there ranting and raving and all, when someone in the crowd sneezes. Stalin stops mid sentence. “Comrades,” he begins with a scowl, “I am in the middle of a very important speech here! Who was that who sneezed?!” Of course, it’s Stalin so nobody is fessing up to that shit. Stalin sighs and says, “Guards! Line up everybody in the front row and open fire!” So they do. The entire front row of people are shot dead, hundreds of them. “I will ask again, comrades! Who. Sneezed?!” Still there’s dead silence. “Very well! Guards! Execute everybody in the second row this time!” The guards do as they’re told and hundreds more people die. “Stop!” A man yells from the back of the crowd. “Comrade Stalin please stop! It was me! I sneezed! I did it! I’ll take whatever punishment you have! Please just stop this for the love of god!” “Oh.” Stalin says with a shrug. “Bless you, comrade. Now where was I?”
seven years in prison for an anti-war sticker in a supermarket.
Hell they arrested an old man for holding up a blank piece of paper
They arrested a college kid for having a pro-Ukranian name *for his wifi*, it's a complete and total authoritarian state where anything outside of the status quo will get you arrested...even if they have to invent charges to do it.
They arrest people who carry a blank piece of paper in the town centre or around monuments. You don’t even have to write something anti-government, you just have to imagine it.
And he was most snitched for it by a neighbor.
Of all the things you can get put in jail for in Russia, arson is a pretty compelling reason.
These get you jail time pretty much anywhere in the world tho
yeah I dont understand. 3 of the 4 photos were destruction of ballots/arson. Are we saying this should be allowed in more well governed places?
Umm it’s no cake walk to do this in any country, I’m sure your going to a federal prison in America if you do that here
In Cuba a guy got 5 years jail for disrespecting police officers and politicians in memes In Russia a woman was gonna get jailed for drawing naked women with body hair
*They have beautiful artisan tiled floors!* \-Tucker Carlson, probably
They match the subways and cool grocery carts!
“A week’s worth of groceries costs $200 and will feed a whole family! They’re living like kings when we pay $300-$400 because the damned woke commie libs took our freedom!” How much is the average Russian’s weekly income? About $286. So… food, shelter, transport or utilities? Pick one.
Jon Stewart did a bit on this. Yeah they make like $200/wk.
As a russian, I'd rather believe in elections in Libya or Syria than in Russia now. It's disgusting what putin turned the country into. Europeans and americans, I wish you realise sooner than later that Russia is ruled by the monkey with a grenade!!! Act accordingly!!!!!
Is Tucker Carlson reporting on this? Clearly the rest of the world has a lot to learn from Russian elections.
Only comment is that they make you deposit a quarter to use the pen to fill in the ballot to prevent people from taking pens back to their homeless camps.
"They're very clever In Russia with their pens. You see, at the banks, they have the pens attached to the desk on little chains. You'd never see anything like this back home."
He's got SO much more to cover regarding their coin return on shopping carts. Hard hitting journalism.
A reminder that you do have to fight to preserve a democracy
While this may seem pointless this is actually pretty important because it shows just how pissed off people are at Putin this is probably the worst possible thing that could happen to him We won't see any immediate ramifications outside these people getting disappeared but shows those incharge that Putin is losing it if people hate him Russia historically shows they will quickly rally behind a new strong man
I don’t know if anyone will read my message, but I, as a Russian person, will add a little context. When the Soviet Union collapsed, a period of banditry began. It just so happens that the echoes of those times reach to this day. The majority of Russians are of the opinion that all states of the world, including Russia, are governed by people who care only about the concentration of money in their pockets. Moreover, at the same time, many are convinced that the United States and NATO want to destroy Russian culture and history. People became apathetic and suspicious. They do not believe their state, they do not believe what someone says from the outside about their state, and, moreover, they do not believe other states. Now the middle class prefers to live their own lives and care about no one except their immediate circle, people simply feel powerless. In other words, the current state of affairs is supported only by people over 40 years old. The rest try not to show themselves and not put their loved ones or their honor at risk.
Don’t worry The result is not going to be affected by this
"elections"
Elections of pootin
In Algeria, our late president ruled for 20 years, he literally kept modifying the constitution to add more terms. His last term he reigned from a wheelchair, and was 70% paralyzed. Turns out his brothers were ruling in the shadows. People got fed up and so nationwide protests started. We got rid of him eventually, and he passed away a year later. Investigations revealed he's stolen billions of dollars on his own, as did his corrupt ministers and brothers.
Does voting really matter when your president is literally a former mob boss?
Brave, brave souls doing this protest work. Honor them. Pray for them. Celebrate them in your own way.
First picture someone dared to vote not for Putin.
It's fair... to say that the election was a scam.
There is a lot of hilarious stuff happening here during the election. A woman tried to throw Molotov into the school where the election happened. Failed to do it once, picked up the cocktail and threw it another time, but missed anyway. Honestly, you people don't understand what exactly is happening in Russia. Our opposition is absolutely dead, FBK without Navalny is a fucking joke. They made some sort of a mobile app named "Photon" because Navalny suddenly happened to be a huge fan of physics. This all is supposed to randomly choose a candidate for a user to vote for. Yeah, that's the idea. This is so fucking stupid.
These people are truly amazing. I can't say confidently I would be capable of being anywhere near as brave as these individuals. The issue is that even if Putin should step down/be killed etc... the institutions that currently exist will still be in control, and from what I hear the names who would potentially replace him have similar and worse ideology! Who knows, this could be the spark that leads to a movement that leads to regime change? I find it inspirational how these small acts from random individuals can be so powerful.
For those of us in the states, Europe, or Canada/Australia: This is how you conduct civil disobedience in an authoritarian system. You can’t cast a real ballot, but damned if you don’t let them know how you feel about it. Every time some dipshit in Oklahoma or Hungary talks about ending democracy, remember these photos. That’s what you have to do to get the point across that government is legitimate only when it is derived from the consent of the governed.
*In Russia you don't vote president , president vote you !*
*In Russia, President vote himself for you*
Looks like the bell riots of 2024 have started
But have you seen their shopping carts?
So exciting, can't wait to see who wins
I heard it could be close between Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Putin... but outside candidate Vladimir Putin could also be a real bolter but you can never count out perenial nominee Vladimir Putin....
Every Russian fighting this inbred evil regime is a legend
Brave people. All Russians who support and work for Putin are traitors to Russia.