I was more talking about during the war, I don't believe Russians will turn against Putin no matter how many of them that he sends to their deaths, I think Russians are split into those who disagree with the war, those who support the war, those who don't care and the silent terrified portion who may disagree but won't say or do anything about it because Putin is too intimidating.
A lot of Russians who disagree with the war already fled Russia, but even before then, the anti-war protests in Russia itself were pathetically small, there were bigger protests made by women in Iran who have next to no rights. There's a sizeable portion of Russians who simply agree with the war, a sizeable portion who believe in dying for the motherland and "might makes right" and we see all the time Russian families expressing fighting for Russia as something to be proud of, mothers overjoyed that their son died for Mother Russia, it's weird.
The biggest shot Russia had at regime change was Wagner, that says it all really, Wagner had sizeable public support but they weren't against the war, they were in fact demanding that Putin goes even harder on Ukraine, Russian's who supported Wagner wanted Ukraine to die faster. There was Navalny. I remember being told they'd be protests at his death, he'd be a martyr! Nope, nothing, he was murdered by Putin and there was barely a peep from his supporters.
Putin won against Navalnvy (who, wasn't exactly a saint himself and is disliked by Ukrainians for good reason, he was anti-Putin but still a massive nationalist and no friend of Ukraine), Putin won against Prigohzin. He took down both of his biggest opponents with ease and barely any instability to his rule, which does make it understandable why people are also terrified of him.
And then most of Russia's army is made up of desperate people from Eastern Russia. He is already purging the minorities via this war. Moscow and St Petersburg have barely been touched. It's easy to pay people to go to war who already have nothing and what are they going to do about it? People with nothing aren't going to overthrow Putin and Moscow/St Petersburg will continue to not care.
So I can't see it, I've lost all hope in Russians saving the day, Putin will remain leader and either die as leader or put one of his successors in charge to continue his agenda and retire in peace, the only way Putin is forcibly removed is via assassination from another country, Imo. Maybe post-war there's a small chance but only if Russians see it as Putin losing which they might do if he is forced into accepting only parts of Ukraine after all of this, then they will just elect some other sicko who is potentially even worse.
Basically Russians won't save the day, even if they do remove Putin, he will just be replaced by someone equally as sick, likely worse.
Last edited by Ryuu96 - on 15 May 2025
