> America will still have elections, and we won't have to deal with our Putin-wannabe again after their term is up.

Heh.. Russia has "elections" too.

So easy to point and jeer and say "they're bad, but over here the circumstances are different!"...

As if armed uprisings are child's play, and those not rising against tyrants are cowards. I bet if you were in Russia, you'd also made excuses why you haven't joined the resistance and learned how to make bombs and kill FSB soldiers. Fact is "the will" only comes with backs against the wall, like when food runs out (Arab uprising) or it's no longer tolerable (Iran). And then what will the revolution bring? Who's in charge in Iran, Libya, Egypt? It's easy to be an armchair revolutionary calling people cowards and brainwashed from 10000 miles away..

Addendum: and if a Russian has sympathy for the Ukranians but is powerless to do anything, wouldn't it be attractive to start believing the lie that it's the Ukranians that are assholes, that they're also doing bad things (just look at the average Israeli's support of the genocide - "it's because they want to annihilate us!"); if you start believing that stuff, you can "forgive" yourself not doing anything against your tyrannical government.