Here is an article from a knowledgeable person who posts information every day about substantive issues:
Russia is screwed up in many ways. Putin is extremely horrible – and was head of their equivalent of the CIA before he became president. In the past few years, MANY high-level Russian officials who disagreed with Putin were found dead on sidewalks below open windows of tall buildings where they had been. This is clearly a coordinated plot to murder people who disagreed with Putin.
I have read a lot about the Wagner group, which not only opposes Putin, but also helped Trump in 2016. They are extremely cruel, so they are not a good alternative to the status quo.
NONVIOLENT GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING can achieve good results. People can successfully organize nonviolently and strategically. Depending on how aggressively the current regime tracks down and suppresses dissent, it might be necessary to do it “below the radar” of the current regime. During the Cold War, East Germany’s secret police were VERY, VERY AGGRESSIVE in tracking down and hurting dissidents, but people did organize a citizens-based nonviolent resistance by meeting in church basements. When the Berlin Wall fell, these people were able to mobilize public opinion with some effectiveness. This helped the reunified Germany move ahead toward becoming a Western democracy.
Unfortunately, not nearly enough Russians have been organizing nonviolent democratic alternatives (even underground, since doing it publicly would meet with severe repression). Even so, it probably exists to some extent, but mainstream U.S. news media almost never report on such things, and the U.S. government does not support this either, because the U.S. government (those bi-partisan folks) think they can win a land war against Russia without escalating into nuclear war.
In many horribly oppressive societies, nonviolent grassroots organizing has built movements that eventually were able to seriously challenge – and sometimes even topple – brutal regimes. Notable examples have included the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, South Africa, the “People Power” movement in the Philippines that nonviolently overthrew Ferdinand Marcos, the dictator heavily armed and supported by the U.S., and many more. I’ve posted some info on my blog, and I could refer you to many organizations with substantive information.
