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Five Reasons Why I Stopped Supporting Vladimir Putin

Someone had to say this.

1. The War in Ukraine.
Begun as a "police operation," the war has already claimed—conservatively speaking—between 1 and 2 million victims.

Back in 2014, I supported the annexation of Crimea precisely because it was bloodless. At the time, it seemed to all of us that Putin was a unifier of Russian lands. And yet, look where we have ended up: "meat grinder" assaults, contract soldiers lured into service under false pretenses, and much else—things that any participant in the "Special Military Operation" will readily confirm for you. It is an absolute dead-end war involving colossal losses; it could drag on for another 5 to 10 years—are *you* prepared for that? No one is calling for a war *against* Russia. However, the current war is being waged solely to satisfy Putin’s personal complexes; we—ordinary citizens—gain absolutely nothing from it, but only suffer losses.

2. Immense Damage to Russia’s Economy and Citizens’ Well-being.
Sanctions, destroyed infrastructure, and the loss of trading partners. Even according to official statistics, the cost amounts to trillions of dollars—funds with which we could have built entire cities, schools, children's hospitals, or completely overhauled our public utilities and housing infrastructure. Instead, what gets built are primarily palaces for the President and his cronies. Even *before* the war, the economy was in trouble: in one of the world's wealthiest nations, tens of millions of people live in poverty. The authorities have become so brazen—so utterly unhinged—that they are now seizing people's pets, as happened recently in Novosibirsk.

3. The Stifling of Internet and Media Freedom.
Ironically, back in 2017, it was *I* who asked Putin a question at the ONF media forum regarding the future trajectory of Internet development in Russia. Putin assured me then that we would *not* follow the "Chinese model"—and he lied. Putin himself does not use the Internet—a fact that is nothing short of shameful for a head of state.

We can see that mobile internet service is unreliable, even in Russia’s major cities. All Western social networks and messaging apps have been blocked. Telegram is currently 80% blocked, and a complete ban is scheduled for April 1st.

The system has gone so completely mad that it is stifling even Telegram—a platform actively used by participants in the Special Military Operation. Meanwhile, people are being herded into the "multinational" Kiriyenko-backed messenger app, Max, and are being stripped of their rights to healthcare and education in the process.

4. The Duration of Putin’s Rule.
Putin is now in his 74th year; he has been in power since 1999—for over 26 or 27 years. And by all appearances, he plans to remain on the throne until he is at least 150 years old.

As is well known, absolute power corrupts absolutely—but what if that power is also infinite? Even a morally impeccable person would become utterly debased in such a situation. Putin was not always the way he is now; prior to 2003, it was difficult to find fault with him—which is why so many of us supported him back then. But everything has its limit. We need a new, modern president.

5. Putin Does Not Respect His Voters and Refuses to Listen to Them.
Watch any of his recent "Direct Lines"—it is an absolute circus! The President is frankly uninterested in domestic policy or the concerns of his constituents. He stopped reading Telegram channels long ago; he couldn't care less about our daily grievances. What Putin craves are endless wars (in which his own children and relatives play no part), not the Internet or higher wages.

I won't even mention the opposition—it simply does not exist. Yet for the past 26 years, Putin himself has repeatedly stated how vital criticism of the authorities and a political opposition are.

But name just one lawmaker or public figure who actually criticizes Putin? There are none; and those who tried have either been labeled "foreign agents," forced into exile abroad, or are now lying in their graves.
Putin is terrified of participating in debates or fair elections—because if he did, it would immediately become obvious that the emperor has no clothes. Conclusion: Vladimir Putin is not a legitimate president. Vladimir Putin must resign and be put on trial as a war criminal and a thief.

Long live freedom, damn it!