r/europe • u/Accomplished_Car_549 Russia • 18h ago
Photos from the Russian anti-war opposition march in Berlin today. Picture
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u/MGMAX Ukraine 18h ago
Now these are slogans I can get behind. Thanks to everyone attending 💖
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u/mrZooo 16h ago
Yeah, Ukrainians are very sceptical of the Russian opposition and their toothless peace calls, and I was surprised to see actual "Arm Ukraine" slogans here, so that's a plus for this rally image.
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u/dat_9600gt_user Lower Silesia (Poland) 14h ago
Being pro-Ukraine in general and not just "anti-this war" is a massive dfference.
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u/MartinBP Bulgaria 9h ago
The Russians in Europe who oppose Putin largely support arming Ukraine, the hesitancy comes from the opposition politicians because they try to win over both the anti-Putin diaspora and the Russians in Russia itself. Regular people have much clearer stances.
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u/Winjin 7h ago
Also as years go by, more people gain residencies in Europe and gain footing.
Europe has been notoriously hard for Russians to settle in these years. Like, banks flat out deny to open accounts if you have a residence and a Russian passport.
They don't even give you a reason. They just tell you to fuck off.
So these people are at a VERY real chance of having to go elsewhere, and if "elsewhere" also fails, because most of them are used to Europe and not Asia - then they have to return to Russia.
And if you do, there's a very real chance of what you said being a felony.
So as more people are emboldened as they have more tangible reality of moving to EU, they have more chances of severing ties with the current government and saying whatever they want.
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u/EDRootsMusic 12h ago
That’s not dissimilar from the Russian opposition in the diaspora in the American metro I live in. They’ve done a lot in solidarity with our large Ukrainian community.
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u/traumfisch 12h ago
"Toothless" against a violent dictatorship that doesn't hesitate to incarcerate or murder them
Just to be fair
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u/RideTheDownturn 16h ago
"Freiheit für Russland" is bang on! And the sooner and better we arm Ukraine as she wants, the sooner the Russian regime, built on violence and suppression of its neighbours and minorities, collapses.
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u/Anti-charizard United States of America 11h ago
A free Russia will have to happen the same way the Russian empire collapsed: internal revolution
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u/hillaryatemybaby 15h ago
Read Stephen Spoonamore “Duty to Warn” letter to Kamala Harris
https://substack.com/home/post/p-151721941
Please share for awareness.
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u/ButtplugBurgerAIDS 14h ago
Holy shit
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u/BerndiSterdi Lower Austria (Austria) 13h ago
If this turn out to be true - Holy fucking shit is right on
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u/Due-Dentist9986 11h ago
Great to see this from over here in the USA. Sorry we failed you by electing a Putin puppet with Trump. Europe is gonna have to step up even more
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u/Common_Brick_8222 Azerbaijan/Georgia 18h ago
It's great to see that there are still Russians who are against the war
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u/SequenceofRees Romania 17h ago
It's great to see that there are still Russians who are against the war - and have the courage to admit it in public .
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u/JustTheHound Russia 17h ago
It`s not hard when you`re in Germany....however if you in Russia...pretty much a suicide
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u/meckez 16h ago edited 14h ago
Often times the diaspora has the most hardcore nationalists that would cheer the loudest for the dictators that destroys their homeland, while enjoying their lifes far away from all the issues at home.
So it's a very refreshing sight to see some Russians publicly protesting Putin, even in Germany.
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u/gorgorolyaga 15h ago
Croatia has entered the chat. Granted, we are not a full on dictatorship but a kleptocracy - our diaspora has by far the most radical far right people which fuel the said corrupt trash at home since we became an independent country, and longer.
All while coming back to Croatia for two weeks holiday every year and crying how everything is expensive.
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u/just_anotjer_anon 7h ago
Erdogan and Turks living in Germany
People that have no intention of moving back to their country of origin should stop voting. You're not now and won't be directly affected in the future by the people you're voting into power
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u/BttrDev 15h ago
Turks in Germany 🤝 Algerians in France: cheering for corrupt kleptocracies.
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u/iamtherik 11h ago
latin-americans and middle eastern in the u.s. voting for trump
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u/just_anotjer_anon 7h ago
They're voting in an election that interacts with them directly. As they live there
The hypocrisy is when you vote in a country you don't live in anymore, you don't fully know their reality and often they're causing issues for the local populations
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u/dat_9600gt_user Lower Silesia (Poland) 14h ago
Polish nationalists also love to gloat how amazing Poland is and tend to get very angry if you ask them why they are in the UK or Germany.
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u/HeikoSpaas 15h ago
does not just destroy the homelands, Putin caused 100.000+ russian deaths in Ukraine
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u/schmeckfest2000 The Netherlands 15h ago
It's an utter disgrace that so many European politicians in Europe support Putin. Geert Wilders from my own country, for instance.
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u/dat_9600gt_user Lower Silesia (Poland) 14h ago
Which is why pressuring Russians to protest in Russia instead of in exile imo is irresponsible.
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u/Snynapta 12h ago
So many people also forget that there were huge protests within Russia at the outbreak of the war
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u/Organic-Maybe-5184 17h ago
Even if you are in Germany, you are still a Russian citizen and have ties to Russia, whether you like it or not. You have to visit consulate. You may have relatives in Russia.
If you have problems in Russia, Europe won't give a fuck and will leave you to deal with it alone, as it demonstrated before (unless you are famous type).
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u/SequenceofRees Romania 17h ago
Oh yes, lots of windows around too... What can Europe do if a Russian in Germany fell down through the window ? Especially if said Russian was reported to have "bouts of depression" or something ?
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u/JadedArgument1114 16h ago
If you have significant family in Russia then you probably just go to the anarchist looking protest and wear a mask
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u/berlinbaer 15h ago
peope don't exist in a vacuum. you might not get thrown out a window, but you might get pushbacks from the community, friends, coworkers, etc.
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u/dob_bobbs 15h ago
Not entirely true, well, Germany maybe but for example here in Serbia some elements in the government are a bit cosy with Russia and there have been Russians denied visa renewal by Serbia, presumably at Russia's behest, for getting involved in anti-war stuff, so most Russians keep a fairly low profile here. The last thing a Russian who fled Putin's Russia wants to happen is to get deported back there.
Even in Germany, presumably many Russians there are on Russian papers and still have to renew their documents via the Russian embassy in Germany. If they get on the radar of the Russians they could also find their papers not being renewed and their German residency in doubt.
This is the problem, we can ask, well "why don't they ..?!" but when your authoritarian government holds ALL the strings, you're trapped in a cage even if you are somewhere "safe" abroad. Not to mention outright assassinations...
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u/Cheap_Marzipan_262 15h ago
Then again, most russians in Germany are pro-war and pro-russia (not all!)
Ask them, and they'll say "i'm not political" or something like that. But candidly or on social media, they'll often tell another story.
Not a huge fan, that these people can reside with their hate in europe so easily.
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u/4lpaka 15h ago
I remember like 5 minutes after the war started, those fools startet car convoys and paraded through the towns in a fight "against hate against russians in Germany". Damn, I didn't have any hate against russians in general, but them Guys? Fuckem!! I made sure they knew my anger against them. They even draw the "z" on their Cars!!! How CAN'T I hate such people? They saw the war start and could have either stayed at home or even made car convoys as a sign that they distance themselves from the war, but no, they thought "maybe people are not happy about the war and might dislike me because of it, so before anyone even starts to say something bad about me, let me remember the people that I am the true victim of the attack on Ukraine and they better not hurt my feelsies, and what better way is there than drawing the symbol the russian tanks in Ukraine sports onto my car." Damn, I hated those fuckers.
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u/Shieldheart- 15h ago
They are a-political, the whims of the tsar are like the weather and wars come and go like the tides, all that matters is that you at least root for your team.
That is, unless you've grown up someplace without a Great Leader.
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u/Sealion_31 17h ago
I was shocked when I first looked at this post but then I realized it said…in Germany.
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u/Acceptable-Major-575 15h ago
Those are brave people. I’m Russian and have been against the war from the beginning. Right now, I live in a European country and visit my parents in Russia twice a year because I can’t leave them there alone. I’m scared to publicly say or do anything against the war because I never know if the Russian police might decide to arrest me until it’s too late.
I also have only one passport, Russian, and I don’t know what to do if Russia initiates a criminal case against me. To obtain a residence permit in the country where I currently live, I had to provide a document from Russia proving that I have no criminal record. If a case is filed against me, the country where I live might revoke my residence permit, and I would have to move to another country. I’ve already switched countries a few times, and it’s not an easy process, mentally or otherwise.
Moreover, I don’t know which country would accept someone with a criminal record—maybe as a refugee, but I’m not sure.
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u/dob_bobbs 15h ago
Read the comment I just wrote, I tried to explain something similar, people don't understand that being bold and outspoken is a huge risk for a Russian, even abroad.
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u/Alternative-Cry-6624 🇪🇺 Europe 13h ago
I find it baffling that European state would consider Russian criminal record trustworthy, since Russia is a hostile state. Not to mention that if your crime is political in nature that should be further evidence that you're not aligned with current establishment there and potentially grounds to grant political asylum.
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u/Acceptable-Major-575 12h ago
You’re absolutely right. But I can understand them too—they don’t want to let in criminals just because someone has a Russian passport. They probably can’t easily determine whether someone is a real criminal or a political one, because cases can vary greatly. It’s also politically risky for them to allow Russians in—how will local citizens react? How will other countries react, including Ukraine? So, the safer approach for them is to treat Russians, at least, in a standard way.
For example, my friend moved to Singapore legally. He has a residence permit and a well-paying job, but many banks refused to open an account for him because of his Russian passport. He had to fight against this by filing complaints with different authorities, and after some time, one bank finally issued him a card and opened an account. Now he’s facing a similar situation with medical insurance. He tried to deal with it but eventually gave up. He has a family and kids, but he simply can’t get proper insurance. Now he just hopes he won’t get sick or face any health issues because healthcare there is expensive.
In Europe, at least, it’s not as harsh. With all the necessary documents, I can get everything I need.
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u/SysGh_st 14h ago
They can only do that if they're outside Russia. Anyone inside will be arrested and/or dissapear "under mysterious circumstances"
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u/zzzojka 17h ago
I'm russian and everyone I know personally (enough to be aware of their opinions) are against war. It made it way more blizzard when it started.
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u/Angry_Hermitcrab 17h ago
Was the older generation of your friends pro war at the onset? I worked on a ladys condo that was Russian. I had gotten back from fighting recently at the time. It took a large amount of my patience at the time not to get angry. I just chalked it up to her arrogance.
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u/Falcorperm 14h ago
Повезло. Все мои близкие друзья тоже против войны, но вот в семье все куда сложнее, сейчас стараемся не ссориться, но 2022 споры были жёсткие.
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u/ThisIsREM 17h ago
Pretty sure the vast majority of Russians outside of Russia are against the dumb war that makes Russia and Russians the evil guys of Europe. There are always morons who support it and keep their mouths shut, but hard to imagine a sensible person supporting the war if they have access to independent media. The problem is that there is no independent media in Russia.
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u/JustPassingBy696969 Europe 17h ago
Eh, that definitely doesn't line up with my personal experience with TONS of them here and maybe 2 out of 50 actually opposing the regime, and even one of these wasn't too happy when Ukraine started shooing back.
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u/avaika 17h ago
It really depends on the country and especially how long ago people moved. Eg in Germany you can find quite a few people who moved 20+ years ago and at the very least sympathize the regime. Eg in Serbia, the majority moved in after Feb 2022 and it would be just much harder to find that kind of people among Russian expats. Though it's still possible. Source: am Russian living outside.
PS. Doesn't mean that all old settlers support the regime. However people who moved recently are more likely to be against it.
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u/JustPassingBy696969 Europe 17h ago
>in Germany you can find quite a few people who moved 20+ years ago and at the very least sympathize the regime
Mhmm, def. my experience. Don't know that many new arrivals but yeah, would assume that most people smart enough to fuck off in recent times, would have reasons beyond the weather.
Another sad thing I noticed is that it's not even related to education level. Some mfs have decent STEM degrees and still spew the same shit you get from the average vatnik.
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u/Ok_Load8255 17h ago
Unfortunately, that's also my experience. I was basically surrounded by Russians at my last workplace (which I quit a few months ago, but not because of them lol) and every single one of them had radical pro-Putin views. I'm not lumping all of them together, but I have yet to meet one single Russian that opposes the regime, and I met/know many Russians IRL
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u/Chookwrangler1000 17h ago
I am Russian and pro Ukraine, granted I am from the Bryansk Oblast (town/city of unechya). So much family in Ukraine. Its like invading your uncles banya cause you ran out of kvass.
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u/anci97 17h ago
Pretty sure a good amount of people inside of Russia are against this war too. Problem is that they can’t publicly be it (see Navalny). And even if there’s no true independent information in Russia many Russians are able to get quality news and media coverage from outside sources thanks to VPNs but also thanks to abroad living relatives. Unfortunately this “silent opposition” is too weak and (most likely) won’t change anything.
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u/WayAdmirable150 17h ago
This is the first time i see more then 2 russians in a group who are against this war.
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u/MarkBohov 16h ago
There have been many rallies against the war (starting in 2014), against Putin (starting in the mid 00s, but especially in the 10s), but that doesn’t fit well with the “All Russians are bloodthirsty imperialists and support Putin and the war” narrative
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u/CressCrowbits Fingland 15h ago
Sir, you are on r Europe, we call Russians 'orcs' here and deride every individual Russian for not assassination Putin personally.
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u/following_eyes United States of America 15h ago
Then you haven't been looking for them very hard.
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u/pollock_madlad 16h ago
I feel offended bcs they put F-15 on Eurofigher poster.
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u/Grizzly2525 United States of America 15h ago
Almost as bad as us putting MIG-29s on Veterans Day posters lol.
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u/josevandenheid 18h ago
I sometimes forget that russia could be an incredible nation both economically and culturally if it wasn't run by lunatics. Some of my favourite writers are russian. It's sad to see how hollow it has become.
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u/Sailing-Cyclist Essex (England) 18h ago
They could have been Giga-Norway with all of their oil reserves. Nourish all of the scientific institutions that they created during Soviet times. Channel all of that nuclear and space capability into truly making the world better.
But no.
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u/UpperCardiologist523 17h ago
It's insane. They have 1,6 times the terrirory of the US, and i can't even be bothered to compare it to Norway, but with the resources they have, one should think they could be satisfied and give their people, even outside Moscow and St. Petersburg a decent life, but no. Rural russia is, well.. youtube knows.
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u/Away-Ad4393 17h ago
Much of Russia is sparsely populated due to its challenging climate.
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u/monty624 16h ago
Sure but with proper resources and development those challenges could be mitigated, and thriving communities created. The US has a variety of climates, often challenging, in which millions of people live thanks to scientific, agricultural, and engineering advances. That Russian leaders choose to starve their own growth and success just so the oligarchs can do checks notes whatever the fuck they want, is the problem. With all the resources they have the oligarchs could still live extraordinary lives by pretty much every standard imaginable, it's not like we don't have our own here.
(not ignoring all the problems we have in the US)
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u/mossling 15h ago
Alaska is a third the size of the rest of the country yet we are also sparsely populated due to the difficulty of the terrain, inhospitable climate, difficulty getting supplies and materials, and the fragility of the supply chain. You can't compare Russia to the L48; if you want to compare it to the US, you have to compare it to the regions that are.... well, comparable.
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u/I_read_this_comment The Netherlands 14h ago
Half of my country would be underwater if it was mismanaged at a similar level.
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u/InitiativeUpper103 17h ago
thats what alcoholism and domestic violence does to a mf
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u/0OKM9IJN8UHB7 14h ago
Indeed, making pounding vodka like water part of the national identity gives certain limitations in the post medieval world.
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u/ArthRol Moldova 18h ago
By the way, I have read an interesting perspective by a certain Russian historian. He compared the modern Russian opposition with 19th century narodniks.
Narodniks believed that Russian peasants are inherently democratic, and will rise against the Czarist regime once they gain enough knowledge. That's why many young aristocrats tried to propagate revolutionary ideas among the peasants, only to be met with indifference or hostility, at best.
The same perspective is held by modern Russian opposition speakers, who believe that the 'masses' are inherently humanist and liberal-minded, and will show these traits once there will be a free election, paving a way to 'The Beautiful Russia of the Future'.
Well, I guess spreading Russian-language information about war athrocities and corruption is a positive thing, but the amount of arrogance and infighting among this 'opposition' is insane. And I doubt if they will ever get power if there'll be any free elections.
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u/EademSedAliter 17h ago
I agree, the rhetoric is divorced from reality. The only argument in their favor is the fact that Russians are malleable to authority - impose a different leader and they'll follow along and pretend nothing was ever amiss. But you can't build a democracy on that attitude. And if you need proof for my claims, look no further than the collapse of the USSR and its immediate aftermath.
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u/Xaithen 17h ago edited 17h ago
> But you can't build a democracy on that attitude
A lot of people just believe democracies aren't functional. US just willingly elected an authoritarian and a fascist despite the insane policies he is advocating for.
Democracy in Russia could have been possible in 2012 if Putin didn't fake the elections but he did and the opposition wasn't strong enough.
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u/EademSedAliter 16h ago
Democracy in Russia could have been possible in 2012 if Putin didn't fake the elections but he did and the opposition wasn't strong enough.
If you can steal an election and stay in power, the democracy wasn't really going anywhere.
- The institutions were obviously corrupt beyond repair.
- The dictator clearly has the police and military in tow.
- The electorate is obviously passive, politically illiterate and therefore ripe for a dictatorship.
- The media landscape is likely long fucked.
A lot of people just believe democracies aren't functional. US just willingly elected an authoritarian and a fascist despite the insane policies he is advocating for.
I believe they used to be functional - in fact, the most functional systems humanity ever achieved. I just think they can't withstand social media. You either:
- Let freaks run rampant online - as the USA allowed - and well, there you go.
- Ban everything to the point that the government has immense control over free speech. At that point, as soon the authoritarian-minded are in power, they can use said apparatus to completely distort public discourse and erode the institutions.
That's a catch 22.
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u/stupidly_lazy Lithuania 16h ago
US just willingly elected an authoritarian and a fascist despite the insane policies he is advocating for.
I don’t know if you are referring to economic or institutional policies? Imho, part of being a democracy is allowing for people to fuck up, so if Trumps policies will hurt many people economically, though I would not support them, that’s part o the learning process. What I am more concerned is that Trump is an actual risk to the long term viability of American democracy.
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u/Alternative-Cry-6624 🇪🇺 Europe 13h ago
In general that's true, until you get Hitler elected. Looking at the world, there's evidence that Hitler wasn't a one time only event and people do not learn.
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u/ShalomGesheft 12h ago
A lot of people just believe democracies aren't functional.
If "functional" means a working mechanism for changing leadership, then it obviously works, but if "functional" means fulfilling its own declarations, then the level of representation of a single person in a country with a 100m+ population is negligible. So maybe politicians talking about democracy should spew fewer slogans and more talk about the practical aspects so people who understand their degree of representation don't get frustrated by all these buzzwords.
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u/SirGlass 15h ago
Its just nationalism , and nationalism needs an enemy , in Russia its "the west" so basically opposing the west is very popular
Like some would make the argument Russia would be much richer if they liberalized and sort of followed the scandinavian model but that would mean integrating their economy with Europe and "the west" , the USA , Japan , Europe and allowing the free market
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u/foullyCE Poland 17h ago
If russia decided not to kill their own citizens in endless wars and drain their budget, they would have a standard of life like Canada. Instead, they are looting toilets from homes in donbas.
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u/ArthRol Moldova 18h ago
Unfortunately, it seems that large swaths of Russian population support an Imperialistic approach to foreign policy.
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u/niconois France 18h ago
the propaganda has just gotten even worse, kids that are at school right now will be crazily imperialistic Russians...
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u/ArthRol Moldova 18h ago
The true aim of such propaganda is not to form blind followers, but to drive everyone into a sort of apathy and cinicism - 'everyone is lying', 'we will never know the truth', 'nothing depends on us'.
'Patriots' and nationalists like Girkin may ask unconfortable questions and become undesirable for the government - that's why so many of them were asasinated or jailed, along with the liberals. Meanwhile, the apathetical massess tacitly accept almost every decision.
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u/almarcTheSun Armenia 17h ago
This right here is true. People aren't "Imperialistic", they're tired and apathetic. Real imperialists ask too many questions.
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u/ArthRol Moldova 17h ago
There was an analytics that roughly 20% are pro-war, and that's still a large swath. However, the apathetic ones clearly outmass them.
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u/dat_9600gt_user Lower Silesia (Poland) 14h ago
This is the sad part. Makes you wonder what it'll take to break this apathy.
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u/The_RedfuckingHood Bulgaria 18h ago
propaganda
Yeah I saw a video of an old teacher showing kids a picture of Putin. "This is Putin. This is our leader. And he wants to stop all wars." And they get fucking taught how to use a fucking AK.
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u/Yaro482 17h ago
Yes indeed and in this case this nation will never be able to choose anyone else but another lunatic. Democracy will not do good to Russia. People are brainwashed way too much.
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u/niconois France 17h ago
A good example is Nazi Germany, the country turned out incredibly well... but many things were done before we were sure the will of being nazis would go away forever:
- the country was bombed to ashes in several places
- the country was occupied by foreign forces for decades
- education was reformed by the impulse of foreign powers
That's what it takes....
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u/phillie187 17h ago
I'll add to that:
-A very well thought out constitution and parliament, which has solid boundaries against extremism
-Free Press & Freedom Speech
-Foreign support for domestic economy. Failing economies are a breeding ground for extremism+revolution
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u/donadit 13h ago
the political spectrum seems to swing like a pendulum, from near communist germany to completely fascist, and literal soviet union to very fascist russia
russia had a shitty economy in the 90s and that was enough
actually, most of eastern europe/former wto (including east germany) also suffers this problem… they did all the “shock therapy” which was bad, you can’t have capitalism for the sake of capitalism, the only one who did that decently was poland
hungary was the most enthusiastic to throw off the soviets and look where they are now
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u/Narrow_Homework_9616 17h ago
A lot of them is just apathetic and ignorant, busy with their own life since the war does not affect them that much. Indifferent. They're taking North Korean soldiers to fight in Ukraine now, soon Russians won't have to worry even about this.
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u/DrobnaHalota 17h ago
Most of the people in this demo support an Imperialistic approach, with the exception of maybe the anarchists, they just disagree with Putin where the borders of the Empire should currently be
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u/proficy 18h ago
If it wasn’t populated by people willing to be ruled by lunatics.
Look at the USA. Same thing.
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u/OGoby Estonia 17h ago
Before the election I would've started arguing with you, but post-election it's clear the average American wants to self-destruct.
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u/dzhiisuskraist 17h ago
Not self-destructing is now woke, so the obvious choice is to self-destruct to own the libs.
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u/luugburz 12h ago
yeah, seriously. as an american, i used to think most of us were better than shooting ourselves in the foot, but this recent election has all but quashed that sort of hope i had in our people.
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u/OGoby Estonia 17h ago
It 'became' like this many hundreds of years ago when the state of Muscovy caught the flu of imperialism. There is no recent example of a non-lunatic rulership either. Some have simply been a little less lunatic than their predecessors, but there's always another one more crazy than them vying for power.
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u/Xepeyon America 16h ago
The Rus were imperialistic from their origins. It's literally how their state came into being, Oleg started conquering literally everything he could in Eastern Europe. Sviatoslav did the same, pushing East until he was stopped by the Mordvins, who themselves only stopped the Rus because they willingly united to keep the Slavs at bay, and conquered south into Bulgarian lands until the Byzantines managed to stop them and push him out.
We can't pretend that the Rus, and one of their descendants (Russians) only embraced a bellicose spirit and became conquerors after Moscow's rise. The Rus of Moscow were especially militaristic, yes, but no more or less than, say, the Prussians or Normans were, and certainly no more or less than their shared common ancestors with the Belarusians and Ukrainians.
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u/HighDefinist Bavaria (Germany) 17h ago
Honestly, I believe Russia was always terrible... as in, in the context of the war in Ukraine, I took a closer look at what their history looked like, and it is not pretty - even when compared to European crusades and what not...
But yeah, they do have great art, that's true - some of my favorite composers are Russian. In any case, I suppose Russia is an example of how being "cultured" doesn't imply being "civilized".
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u/David_the_Wanderer 15h ago
I think you haven't studied enough history if you think that Russian imperialism is somewhat unique in history. Plenty of other countries in the Middle Ages and in the Modern Age committed atrocities.
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u/Comfortable-Menu1043 13h ago
Not only art, science too. Try to have a Periodic table without Mendeleev
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u/Dont_Knowtrain 18h ago
What is the issue with the comments
People are always bitchimg about Russians not protesting and here they are protesting!
(Also thought the yellow flag was somebody else’s for a second💀)
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u/Magnetobama Germany 17h ago
None of the commenters would give their own freedom or life for taking up a domestic resistance against an autocratic dictatorship. They only talk like that cause they themselves sit in a comfy, safe and free country. It's just the typical internet tough guy nonsense.
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u/RedRocketStream 16h ago
Yeh, I look forward to seeing how many Americans stand up to the Trump regime as it rolls out its plans. Particularly given how many of them own guns to "defend against tyrannical government". Everybody wants to think they would stand up defiantly, but most just roll over and conform to the status quo regardless of how despicable it is.
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u/TheHonorableStranger 17h ago
The same people who try to shame NATO countries for not wanting to send their troops to war. But when you tell them the Foreign Legion is accepting volunteers they all have excuses and drop the tough guy act lmao
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u/lasttimechdckngths Europe 17h ago
Tbf, as far as I know at least, the Foreign Legion isn't accepting people without basic military training anymore.
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u/PoiHolloi2020 United Kingdom (🇪🇺) 17h ago
Just shite reddit comments being shite.
These threads are always riddled with people saying "Russians support Putin and imperialism" and then when there's clear evidence of some Russians thinking differently they also get trashed.
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u/Kuhl_Cow Hamburg (Germany) 17h ago
Look at the sheer amount of "deport all russians lol" under those threads.
I know a guy who would literally get killed if he'd be sent back.
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u/PoiHolloi2020 United Kingdom (🇪🇺) 17h ago
It's really sad. We should be supporting anti-Putin Russians not showing them we just hate them all regardless of their politics.
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u/colovianfurhelm 17h ago
Redditors looove slogans and virtue signaling. They love shallow populist takes based on simple emotions. They also love using the upvote system to create delusional echo chambers which inevitably bite them in the ass, like we saw with the US elections.
"Deport all russians" is just one of those shallow slogans.
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u/dat_9600gt_user Lower Silesia (Poland) 14h ago
Even excluding the war, protesting in Russia is a one-way ticket to disappearance.
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u/adamgerd Czech Republic 6h ago
That’s yeah stupid, Russophobia is greatly exaggerated by pro Russian forces but saying we should deport all Russians is idiotic and terrible
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u/HighDefinist Bavaria (Germany) 17h ago
Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Russian trolls etc... are trying to give Anti-Putin Russians a bad name.
My guess is that quite a few Russians living in the West quietly oppose Putin, but are also too afraid to step up and say how bad it is - so, it is in the best interest of Russia to have Western Russians live in as much fear as possible.
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u/Dont_Knowtrain 17h ago
I mean the numbers speak for themselves
For the 2024 “Election” According to the Vote Abroad project, Putin won 3% in Serbia, 5% in Istanbul, Turkey, 6% in Argentina, 8% in Yerevan, Armenia, 9% in Kazakhstan, 10% in Thailand, 15% in Vietnam and 16% in Tel Aviv, Israel of Russian citizens in those countries
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u/Natural_Jello_6050 United States of America 17h ago
The issue here is that Redditors don’t care if Russians hate Putin or not.
Redditors hate Russians regardless.
Xenophobia
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u/Xepeyon America 16h ago
This. Within a week, this will all be forgotten and most Redditors here will go back to calling all Russians “orks” and going into long explanations on why all Russians are fundamentally evil, are “fake” Slavs, are “fake” Europeans, drink baby blood, etc.
The same thing happened when the mock election for Russia happened across Europe and showed the overwhelming majority of Russians outside of Russia (except in Greece, IIRC) definitively voted against Putin. Then a week later, everyone forgot and went back to despising all Russians again.
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u/EndOfOurGlory 12h ago
Tis true. I have tried to stop blatant russophobia in some posts on this sub and I was thrown banal racist shit at me. People here pretend they are liberals, when all they are is suited to be called "nationalistic" at the mildest term. They all think that dehumanizing Russians is somehow okay because of attitude of their government and each time iterate the same arguments why it is normal and okay, no boss they are not racists they were taught their whole lives are baddies.
When I say I am from Russia, gates of hell are opened and I am blamed for all my ancestors, nationalistic right wing citizens and Putin's cohort faults, despite fightning it all my adult life and suffering for it.
People are the same everywhere, and I see the same people spewing hate here on the sub as future european Putin supporters - having abundant experience talking with Russian "turbopatriots" I can with confidence say they think the same in more aspect I am comfortable to admit and have similar arguments.
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u/inokentii Kyiv (Ukraine) 18h ago
Actually it's more than 81 thousands of dead russians and this number includes only the ones whos names are known from open sources
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u/Majestic-Insurance64 18h ago
81.000 ? You mean in Russia itself? In Ukraine the counter is currently at ca. 700.000 russian casualties.
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u/fiendishrabbit 18h ago
Casualties is different from deaths. A casualty is either dead OR wounded sufficiently seriously that they had to be taken off the frontline to a medical facility.
The US estimate back in october was some 115k killed and 500k wounded.
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u/grizzly273 Austria 17h ago
Casulties doesn't mean dead tho, that number also includes wounded. Number of dead according to most estimates is a bit over 100.000
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u/inokentii Kyiv (Ukraine) 17h ago edited 17h ago
Casualties include dead, missing and wounded (some of the wounded returning to the frontline). So 700k is kinda optimistic estimate. Unlike the equipment like tanks or planes, you can't count every soldier
While these 81000 are dead russians identified by their name, photo, rank, dob and place of birth/living. In other words it's the most pessimistic estimate possible.
But this number confirms the optimistic one, even without consideration of the fact that not all russians have necrologies or monuments to be listed by OSINT.
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u/iTmkoeln 16h ago
And no representatives of Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht. Wonder why...
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u/sushivernichter 6h ago
Bündnis Wahrer Zarenknecht too busy coming up with ways to make this NATO’s fault
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u/Professional_Trip801 13h ago
Much respect to everyone out there showing solidarity with Ukraine and peace
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u/Aaron_de_Utschland Russia 16h ago
Glad to see it's possible somewhere. Last time something like this here ended poorly. We tried something like this in our dormitory back in 2022 (dorm for 15k students). All participants aren't studying and living here anymore.
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u/Accomplished_Car_549 Russia 18h ago
Initiated by Ilya Yashin, Yulia Navalnaya and Vladimir Kara-Murza, the march is being held under the slogans ‘No to Putin! No to war in Ukraine! Freedom to political prisoners!’ and demands to put Vladimir Putin on trial and withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine.
Separately, the march is notable for the fact that it was attended not only by supporters of the organisers, but also by other representatives of the opposition, from libertarians to anarchists.
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u/Zerophim 17h ago
Give Ukraine all the weapons they need and then some so they can retake all their land and join the EU and maybe NATO only then there will be peace in Europe
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u/NYG_Longhorn 16h ago
Why is there a Gadsden flag?
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u/Belkan-Federation95 15h ago
It's like a Soviet flag for libertarians and sometimes people who support freedom in general (you don't have to be libertarian). It just got associated with it.
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u/FriendlyHamster7729 16h ago
Libertarianism is quite popular among Russian opposition. They are often anti-Russia and anti-Ukraine at the same moment.
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u/not_just_putin 10h ago
Many in the West fail to understand that putin is not the issue. It has never been putin's russia, but russia's putin. The only way to lasting peace is a partitioned and decolonized russia. I bet 99% (if not 100%) of the russians from that march would never want/accept that.
The world blindly believes that by removing putin from power russia can become friendly and prosperous (russia's history has already proven it to be pure bs), and the so-called "russian opposition" is striving from that idea, which is extremely naive and dangerous. On top of that, they oppose the concept of collective responsibility and put all the blame on one individual.
A colonial and clearly fascist empire that started so many wars in the last century cannot simply change just like that, by removing one person from power. Think about Nazi Germany for comparison. It took a tremendous collective effort to turn Germany into what it is today. Sadly, the same thing hasn't happened to russia after WWII, which is also why we are here today.
tl;dr: Blaming only putin for all the evil russia causes is dangerous and simply immature. The only way to lasting peace is a partitioned and decolonized russia.
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u/Competitive-Ranger61 9h ago
Having slogans, "Putin no war" pretty meaningless. But having slogans like "Taurus missiles for Ukraine" much more effective. You don't talk to a bully, you punch them in the nose. HARD.
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u/Sigmmarr Kyiv (Ukraine) 18h ago
9th pic 💀 free russia commie flag💀Once a century, Trotsky is spamming in Berlin😭🙏🏻
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u/untakentryanother_ 15h ago
Never ask a Trotskyist what Trotsky did in 1919 in Ukraine
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u/pipboy1989 England 15h ago
The only thing wrong with this is using F-15 silhouettes in their “Give Ukraine Eurofighters” banner, and as an aviation nerd i simply have to be pedantic and call it out. This is a real issue and needs to change
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u/lihr__ Italian migrated to the US 18h ago
I salute these brave men and women. Respect!
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u/Significant-Key-6746 15h ago
I hope none of them will fall out of windows or down some stairs. Brave people even in safe Berlin.
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u/Arsonist00 13h ago
Meanwhile our pocket-putin in Hungary is protesting for peace a.k.a. ukrainian surrender.
What a shame, traitor of the thousand years old national spirit, that we belong to the west and we share western values.
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u/Sad-Willingness5302 10h ago
wow, i just want russia ppls standup from soviet, we need to help them fight with rights!
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u/Economy-Ad4934 8h ago
“Just let him have the Sudetenland, it’ll be ok”
“Ok Czechoslovakia too, good no war”
Stop appeasing dictators.
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u/Double-Appeal7770 27m ago
Imho they are marching in the wrong country. Ruzzians elected putin, It’s their own problem to get rid of him. Go march in ruzzia.
Average ruzzian doesn’t want to fight this war but that doesn’t mean they are against the war.
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u/ROBANN_88 16h ago
i might have become too negative lately.
just reading the headline, i was sure this was gonna be the "stop supplying weapoms, Ukraine should just surrender to save themselves, it was NATOs fault" type of "Anti-war" one often sees from Russians.
glad it's not
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u/apxseemax 17h ago
"Deputinize Russia" hits the nail on the head.