Why Russians like me aren’t rising up against Putin

I was born, grew up and have lived in Russia all of my 45 years. This means that I belong to a state that was established by force, expanded by force and is maintained by force. In this, of course, Russia is not alone: this fact is true of several countries. But the world has changed and other empires have learned new ways. For a brief 15 years from the mid-eighties onwards, there was an illusion we would too. Alas, now we’re on the same old road again.

My countrymen, it seems, will make huge sacrifices for the sake of a phantom national pride. It’s this pride that’s now sending Russian forces out into Ukraine. It’s the same pride that the Ukrainians – with their rejection of us – have bruised. ‘They never liked us, they don’t respect us, now at least they will fear us,’ people around me say to justify Putin’s invasion of the country.