People Leaving Russia — How the Media & Russia’s Great Exodus Might Turn Public Opinion Around

One of my Ukrainian friends, who happens to be a journalist for one of the more known Ukrainian news outlets, often speaks about how difficult it is for her to engage with Russians because of the war in Ukraine.

And I completely understand her position — and frustration. However, for the rest of us, it could be useful to delineate between Russians. There certainly are Russians who oppose Putin’s regime — and they must receive our full-blown admiration and support.

So, in this post, I’ll argue that political dissent in Russia is crucial to Vladimir Putin’s collapse and potential for democracy.

Let me explain.

Photo by Nabeel Syed on Unsplash

We saw a mass exodus from Russia when Putin began calling for the partial mobilization of Russians in the Fall of 2022. This was one of the most significant signals to the West that Russians are not fully on board with Russia’s war on Ukraine.

According to some early estimates, when Putin called for the partial mobilization some 2.5 million Russian citizens left Russia for Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and even the European Union.

In response to the partial mobilization, many protested across major Russian…