[philliphaydon]

I think sometimes when talking about Russia or China it’s mistaken for the people of Russia or China when in reality it’s not criticism of the people but of the governments. We know majority of the people in those countries are good people and really just want to live their lives in happiness.

[galaxyLogic]

Dictators like to think they "are" the country.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/l%27%C3%A9tat%2C%...

[brnt]

It's all identity politics, and it's nothing new. Putin and his clique of oligarchs and criminals require a story that regular folks can identify with. It's the same in any sort of state, but in democracies due to the ability to actually participate, people can see for themselves that this identity is not entirely fiction. The so-called Russian state has not much more to do with average Russians than any other state. We might as well say that a Russian state does not exist. Russians do, but they don't have a state.

I hope that somehow they are someday able to grab their sovereignty into their own hands, and out of the hands of people who only see them as resources for their own gain.