[throwaway6532]

On the contrary hurting them will provide a very strong signal to them that something is actually quite wrong. Kremlin is a propaganda machine and while some don't believe what they hear there are others that do. It gets kind of harder and harder to believe you're the good guy when things like that start happening to you. It may prompt you to look at alternative, non-Kremlin news sources and formed a more accurate picture. This may in turn lead to higher and higher numbers of people willing to revolt against Putin.

It's absolutely a last resort, but this is the highest stakes game in existence and there is no time to mess around.

[kadoban]

That sounds like a plan that _at best_ works on the timeline of years, and more likely never works.