Angry Russians displaced after Ukraine crossed the border and invaded the Kursk region last week have vented their frustrations online to President Vladimir Putin.
The criticisms represent an unusually public show of defiance in a country where any cracks at the leader or military can draw harsh punishments.
But why? I think it’s because Russians just don’t exhibit a lot of civic engagement. When you see the kinds of things Putin did to get into power, do you think any of those actions would slide in any other well-functioning liberal democracies? Just look at how Ukraine responded during Euromaidan. You just don’t see that kind of engagement happening in Russian society.
So why does it keep getting worse again? Unfortunately, it’s because they let it.