Not true, many of them were just too scared and wanting to keep themselves/their families safe. Putin is brutal to anyone standing up to him or at best just imprisons them for ridiculously long periods, and has fuelled a disinformation campaign that eventually started failing.
I remember early in the war for a few months where the russians on the ground were believed, by the west, to be mostly believing his narrative before the reality became more apparent. Countless mothers saying they’ve lost their sons and good communication between friends on the ground in ukraine and russia plus some social media breakthroughs eventually got them to see it.
The Russians I know in Cyprus are hating this and there is that sense that they just can’t be too loud about it even here.
I couldn’t imagine being under a leader like that and I respect those taking the streets in Russia finally because they know they are risking beatings/jail or death just by speaking up peacefully. It’s a total mess for them and no one asked for it.
