A thought that bothers me for a long time: The main power of Russians is their indifference. And the main support the world provides them is helping them to keep being indifferent to everything.

It seems to be common wisdom now that both Ukrainian and russian armies and states showed more resilience in this war than the conventional military theories expected.

Ukraine standing against the adversary considered incredibly powerful (“Kyiv in 3 days”).

Russia standing despite losing more forces KIA than they had amassed for operation and losing more tanks in 3-4 months than the whole Bundeswehr currently has.

The source of Ukrainian resilience is having no choice, deciding to stand, and knowing what it would cost to give up.

The source of Russian resilience is INDIFFERENCE. And I think this is important to understand.

INDIFFERENCE.

That is what the mass of russians—both military and general population—bring to the picture from their side, and that’s worse than if they would’ve been 100% enthusiastically genocidal.

Even on the frontlines: some of them really want to kill. Some probably believe they do this to “protect the motherland” somehow. But most of them are just sent where they are sent, do what they are told to do, and don’t give a flying fuck. So what if they are made into cannon fodder. So what if they told to bomb hospitals and kill children. So what if they are lied to by officers, sent to die, or witness/perform inhuman atrocities. “Eh, whatevs.”

The horrible thing about this is that idea-driven army can see they are failing or get disenchanted with the idea (seeing that there are no “bandera nazi monsters” between the people they fight). “Eh whatevs”-army wouldn’t change their mind whatever happens. That’s their thing. (Obviously, there are some idea-driven between them. There are also full genocidal maniac types. But the rest is this. A mass of indifferent “they told me so”-s: frequently strikingly inefficient, but it just keeps pushing no matter what.)

The same goes for the civilians/general population. There is a certain percent of really enthusiastic colonialists. There is some (very small, but existing) part of genuinely anti-war people actually doing something about it.

The rest is “eh, whatevs.” Pro-Putin ones. Anti-Putin ones. Humanistic ones. Nihilistic ones. Knowing ones. Ignorant ones. Deceived ones. But all are mostly and primarily indifferent about it, just keeping with their lives.

Again, would’ve there been a constant screaming crowd demanding blood and war (and not only “occasionally gathered”, mostly state workers told to do so), this crowd could’ve turned its anger on its rulers or withdrawn its support.

But russian authorities don’t rely on the crowd support. They rely on indifference, they receive their mandate to do whatever as long as apolitical citizens have a pliable deniability “we didn’t notice, we just kept living.”

Our army bombs peaceful cities? Children are indoctrinated in school? I am building missiles or sewing uniforms? My friend went to an occupied city to reeducate children? Somebody got mobilized and died? Until it was me who died, it would be “eh, whatevs.”

I was subscribed to some intelligent, sophisticated, self-reflective, self-ironic, humane Russian poets before the full-scale invasion. Sometimes I visit their pages, and they still write their “sophisticated, self-ironic” observations about their life. Where nothing changed.

Same with russian programmers I once knew. The life just goes on. Even for many of those who decided to flee the country. Their “motherland” is actively participating in genocide, but they have more important things to do and discuss.

Again, that doesn’t describe 100% of Russian citizens that I knew some time in the past. There are also people who actively support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and even those who fight in the UAF.

But the vast majority is just INDIFFERENT.

And the last point: This main source of Russian resilience—INDIFFERENCE—makes it very easy for people of the world to become Russia’s allies! You don’t need to be actively anti-Ukrainian or pro-imperialism to be a Russia ally. You just need to support the indifference.

That’s why we don’t only ask for weapons (though we need them desperately) but for tougher sanctions, blocking russians everywhere, constant reminding what their country is doing. To break through the wall of indifference, for this abomination of empire to FEEL something.

Otherwise, the zerg rush of “eh whatevs” will eventually kill us all. And then it will come for you.