comment: >
  
  I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but I have zero pity for them. The only solution is some sort of rebellion of the Russian people towards the Kremlin. I have to stop here because Reddit has banned me twice. So you can only imagine my displeasure towards the zombies at the Kremlin. Let's leave it at that. Hopefully drastic change will come in RU in 2023!
context: I mean, their leadership keeps saying the world outside of the Russian Federation is collapsing, they don't need anyone, and are ready to nuclear bomb the planet to ashes.
  So which one is it? >
  
  This is so confusing to me. With all major brands fleeing the country, how can they justify their own continued success? How does the general population perceive that? >
  
  They've gone through that "self sufficient" bullshit before, in USSR times, conveniently forgetting that NOT everything behind the Iron Curtain was Russia.
  A conglomerate of states trading between themselves and to a limited extent with Africa and the Middle East can't be compared to what is happening now, but hey, reliving the glorious past... >
  
  I’ve visited and I am aware of how much is made and used for internal consumption, but there was an intrinsic component of their culture that was a representation of freedom. How westernised their malls were and how many name brands they used on their daily lives. 
  It is baffling to me how this changed within months. >
  
  Eh, I'm living in one of those EU states from Eastern Europe, and after over 30 years after getting rid of communism there are still nostalgic old timers. They don't appreciate 'the new' and find comfort in the old hardships, the known recipes, where they are still knowledgeable and relevant. 
  The very young can be easily brainwashed, and the adults (30-50) are basically the only ones with a grasp of what's really going on and what's at stake.
  What baffles me is that for all this time the regime did not account for their reliance on western technology and components. Not as good as they planned their energy blackmail anyway. >
  
  no, russia's war fuels mental health crisis... don't try to deflect the cause to the isolation or other exterior factors... it's the war, nothing else. >
  
  Kind of like treating a fever when there is a knife in the patients infected chest. >
  
  more like blaming the doktors for a cancerpatient feeling pain... >
  
  More like running into a mall laughing maniacally, stabbing as many pregnant mothers and children you come across, and then when you get thrown into a padded cell with a straitjacket on, you start getting sad about being lonely. >
  
  That is an accurately cynical summation of exactly what is happening. You have a perfectly dark sense of humor. I like it. >
  
  It'd be easier to feel sorry for Russian if there was even a semblance of solidarity towards Ukraine and understanding the reasons for the sanctions. If it was my country doing the invading, I wouldn't love the sanctions, but I would understand them. But instead it's me-me-me, whinging about the travel ban, pleading regular Russians should be left alone like some endangered animals. >
  
  Yeah I understand that the lack of dissent. God knows I wouldn't be a hero there right now.
  But lo and behold, if you take a single thing away from them like traveling abroad, out come Russians with newfound interest in politics. Like they're the victim.
  So rebelling right now will cost them everything but sitting down and shutting up costs nothing. Ukranians would love that their biggest problem right now would be a cancelled vacation.
  I'll be sure to watch that doc, though. There's one called Trauma Zone that's lauded as well. >
  
  I think it's more that you're hearing the clueless, entitled, rich classes bitch about their lost "freedoms". From friends there to musicians and artists I follow, there is no real bitching about this stuff, only disdain for Putin's regime for doing this. Of the "bitching" I've seen its purely in the sense of "fuck this awful war, we just wanna live our lives and let them live theirs." >
  
  I follow some Russian musicians on insta and several Russian YouTubers and same. They are not supportive of anything their government has been doing. They are also all under 30yo and I wonder how much of a split there is between the younger Russian population and the older in regards to support of Putin >
  
  I know a dude who was offered a position in the Communist Party in the '80s as he had made a name for himself within the Soviet defense industry.
  He wasn't dumb though, and saw the writing on the wall for the future of the USSR.
  Dude cannot stand Putin, and while still residing in Moscow, continues to shit-talk Putin on Facebook semi-regularly. Doesn't spend much time near upper-story windows these days, it seems. >
  
  Imagine if you lived in North North Korea.
  Your leader is clearly unhinged. Willing to kill every last one of you rather than lose. Maybe even start a nuclear war rather than lose. 
  There's a good chance you'll get drafted and face abysmal chances of survival, as you do a modern day zerg rush with your friends into oncoming fire from advanced Western weapons that put most of your nation's arsenal to shame. Given to your enemy, who despises you, by a world who despises you and is sanctioning you into the ground. 
  All because your leader literally wants to commit genocide against people that may literally be your relatives. 
  You know this, but are heavily watched at all times and speaking out in any way at all can get you 15+ years of hard labor in Siberia. Assuming you just don't get conscripted or disappear as punishment. 
  No shit mental health is bad. >
  
  You assume the rest of the world hates them. Most people/governments were completely neutral to them. Russia was the definition of a "Meh" country for most of the western world. If they hadn't invaded Ukraine they would still be just that, a big old bowl of "Meh". >
  
  Oh well, maybe they should get over their perpetual fear, jealousy, and paranoia towards the West? Maybe after 500 years of hatred and envy, the ruzzians could try actually joining civilization? >
  
  You know, if not for the war, we probably wouldn't even think about Russia from day to day. >
  
  Not many people really care about that shitty gas station, aside from when they attempt to subvert Western democracies >
  
  nobody’s fault but the russians’… >
  
  I’d say Putin is up there. >
  
  is Russian 🙄 >
  
  He might be insane, but last I heard he’s still singular. >
  
  Ukraine war? Did Ukraine invade russia? >
  
  Ah well Ukrainian orphans are being ripped out of shelters and who knows what happens to em, tens of thousands of innocent people dead so I dont really care about their mental health problem because Ukraine is going through a physical health problem. The goal of this article is too clearly make russians look weak and pitiful and paint the west as the aggressor. Dont fall for it. Everyone knows the russian people are suffering because of Putin's war but they're far better off than the country they're attacking. >
  
  the moscow times is a western-based russian opposition newspaper  
  the goal of the article is to report a crisis in the country that the newspaper is supposed to be reporting on  
  you're just angry its not portraying all russians as the monsters you clearly think they are >
  
  Oh we know it´s not all russians, it´s just that we don´t care.
  And with every new warcrime it will only get worse.
  The time for sympathy is after the war, not now.
  And only russia is to blame for this. >
  
  If you are completely indifferent to innocent people suffering solely because you don't like the actions of their government over which they have no control you are morally no better than Putin. A sane person can have empathy for multiple groups of people at the same time. >
  
  Those who stand by and let the atrocities happen are not innocent. >
  
  That’s a shame.  All of those suffering should take this opportunity to ask: Why did Vladimir Putin do this to us all?  And how can we work together to make him pay for it? >
  
  Poor Russians…Not thinking about how they raped women, tortured civilians and killed and kidnapped children, having mental problems /s >
  
  sure, all of 150 millions, that's all we do. >
  
  I'm curious, what's your take on the war. >
  
  extremely badly, like any normal people. >
  
  Who is the aggressor?
  What should be done to stop the war?
  Is foreign interference unjustified? >
  
  -Russia
  - withdraw the russian forces
  - any help for ukraine of foreign countries needed, if you does it mean
  Yes, it is my opinion, as like also for all my friends. I don't know how many people is thinking the same, but we also russian and we exist! >
  
  I unfortunately couldn't get exactly what you meant in the last paragraph. Some of your points are being lost in translation. 
  Look, I hope Russia has hope for a great future one day, but as long as you're under the thumb of men like Putin, we can't prioritize your plights over the countries Russia is terrorizing. 
  If you and I share that sentiment, I appreciate your stoicism in the face of global isolation and you don't really deserve these down votes. >
  
  I don't claim for pity, it is no needed. I clearly understand all Russians terrible mistakes and them consequences, I also know who will answer for all it, and who started all of it, unfortunately it is different people. I want only understanding, that not all of Russians the same. >
  
  Well the fix is a revolution, Ukraine tossed their asshole when he tore up the deal with the EU.
  Russians should do the same to save their sons and spouses.
  The men should do it to save themselves.
  Id rather risk my life to get rid of a dictator at home than to be sendt into the meat grinder against an innocent country >
  
  
  Well the fix is a revolution
  
  Not gonna fly, Russia is a police state, not until the police is on their side anyway. >
  
  Plenty of police states have fallen in the past, espesially when things are going badly enough.
  But having support within the elites, police, armed forces are important.
  This is why revolutions can do great things if they are large enough. Everyone in the power structure will have loved ones om the other side.
  They are people to >
  
  Russian [opposition-oriented] newspaper reporting on things happening in Russia, and comments talking as if they shouldn't be allowed to, or something.
  And as someone in a top comment reply pointed out: the anti-war people are more likely to feel like shit over what's happening. >
  
  That's probably true, and honestly I don't care. Fuck 'em.
  Feel sympathy for the Ukrainians. >
  
  Me too. I feel no sympathy because I can detect no remorse from Russians for what their state is doing to Ukraine. >
  
  All the descent Russians got the fuck out months ago. >
  
  Maybe. There are various reasons - money, elderly parents, disabilities - that means some decent people can’t leave. Some people might actually want their home to change and stay and fight in some way. Not all Russians are horrible people, anymore than all Americans are (although as an American, I think the vast majority of the majority ethnicity here are completely spoiled and far too comfortable to get that most people in the world actually face hardship). >
  
  The only sane people in Russia are those burning down their factories or imprisoned for protesting the war. Rest are lunatics. >
  
  How to get out of russia. Get caught burning structures in russia, go to jail, get conscripted into army from jail , taken to Ukraine, call Ukraine and surrender.  You are out of russia. >
  
  
  call Ukraine and surrender
  
  There's been info on Russia shooting deserters and its artillery based war, quite unpractical to plan on surrendering. >
  
  Good. 
  Maybe they should overthrow their government as a therapy exercise. >
  
  Too drunk to care probably. >
  
  Oh us poor Russian citizens, being ostracized by society for the audacity of genocidal war mongering.   Why-ever can the world not just ignore us as we invade our neighbors?  Oh woe is me, poor Russians, no one likes us!   We have done absolutely nothing to be worthy of respect as fellow humans, let alone worthy of actual liking but yet, somehow, we just figured you would like us anyway?  Maybe?  If we whine some more about how unfair it all is? >
  
  I doubt the authoritarian government, propaganda and constant gaslighting is helping. >
  
  Oh boo hoo. That entire country has such a massive victim complex, they can all eat shit. >
  
  An entire Country full of Karens >
  
  I can’t find any sympathy in my heart for these self absorbed Russians struggling with their own consequences.  The whole article is kind of absurd.
  Why aren’t we talking about the mental health of the Ukrainians that are the actual victims?