Fuck r*ssia. Yes, absolutely. But — more importantly — fuck the people who constitute the abomination.

Despite being the most sanctioned country in the world, despite wasting all spare resources on wars, despite suffering from internal armed conflicts to this day — the terrorist state still holds together. Why? Because its obedient subjects hold it together, obviously.

Like tiny little cogs in a gigantic hideous clockwork, every fucking r*ssian does their job, diligently.
Some design ballistic missiles.
Some negotiate on getting more missiles from North Korea or Iran.
Some shoot their brothers in arms in the back when they try to surrender.
Some shoot their brothers in arms in the face when they try to retreat.
Some manufacture artillery shells or ammunition.
Some snitch on their sons who avoid military service.
Some register on social networks to troll the victims of the invasions.
Some infiltrate foreign media to spread disinformation.
Some launch missiles in the most populated civilian areas.
Some initiate a double-tap strike to kill the rescuers.
Some lower their heads and shut their mouths.
Some cry about r*ssophobia and shift all the blame onto the tzar.
Some write alternative history books.
Some distribute amenities to the frontline.
Some donate to the soldiers.
Some recruit prisoners.
Some purchase drones from China.
Some push propaganda on state TV.
Some abduct kids from the occupied territories.
Some cover up the war crimes…
The list goes on and on and on and on and on… I won’t spend my whole day on it.

My fate was that my first language was the r*ssian language. And my personality was that I preferred to make acquaintances over the Internet. I did not care where the person was from, but I needed them to speak the language I knew. Consequently, many, if not most, of my Internet acquaintances resided in the Moscow-subjugated territories.

When the invasion started, every one of them acted as if nothing happened. There was not a word of concern, not a word of condemnation, no calls for action, nothing. The overall picture was no better. Remember: less than a fraction of one percent of the population protested. People pretended their country didn’t just make the worst decision in decades. And then the support for the war among the masses only grew. Of course, I was surprised and inquired what the fuck. Below is a summary of their reactions, from the best to the worst.

1. “I am doing something. Only death will save r*ssia.”

Wow. Even I wasn’t so certain at the moment.

In my naive youth, after the r*ssians invaded Ukraine in 2014, I thought that future casualties could be avoided. I mused on the idea of Navalny (or some other “liberal” opposition leader) withdrawing the r*ssian forces from Ukraine and then cultivating so-called r*ssia into a civilized country. I was so wrong. I wasn’t aware their opposition existed only in power, but never in thought. It is now apparent that their issues are too deep-rooted.

2. “Invasion? Never heard of it. Okay, I will display some support.”

They displayed some support.

3. “Damn… Putin bad! Stay safe. No, I will not: display my position/discuss it with friends/ask my dad to avoid military service/do anything whatsoever in support of Ukraine. This is because: people already know my position/it is too dangerous/it won’t change anything.”

This kind of response was the most popular, so I combined several of them into one. Maybe some of the respondents hated Ukraine behind my back, as their leaders conditioned them to. But the majority, I believe, simply did not care.

4. “What? Ukrainians defend their homeland? No, buddy, you are spreading Western propaganda. There are no ‘good guys’ in this war. But I am good. I help animals.”

I assume there were a lot of similar people who practiced conspiratorial thinking and the “it is not all that simple” approach. Luckily, I didn’t keep in contact with many such people since they are usually too low-intelligence for a meaningful conversation.

5. “Yes, I heard of the invasion. Maybe I will do something.”

Later, they started spreading content of xenophobic and disinformative nature and blocked me.

Those were the reactions.

Now, you may be thinking, “Well, it is not too terrible.” And I agree!

It is not awfully terrible for a terrorist state whose existence hangs solely on the devoted support of its citizens. But here’s the thing. I didn’t just speak to randoms. I never keep in contact with those who cannot understand at least half of what I am saying. Some of the acquaintances were rich by local standards. Some of them studied at the best university in the country. And some were simply nice and polite, which was already a miracle for a person raised in that toxic environment. Consider the respondents to be the top 1% of the wretched society. And — if you are brave enough — extrapolate their reactions to the rest 99%.

Maybe you heard the stories from the onset of the full-scale war about the r*ssians who were calling their relatives from Ukraine to wish them death. Now you see it wasn’t some “fake news” but rather an expected, frequently occurring event.

Whatever people call “r*ssia” is an enormous cesspit, every little shit of which contributes to the unbearable stench stretching over eleven time zones.