On: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

[newaccount74 → dmitrygr]

What's the alternative to sanctions? Diplomatic attempts to convince Russia not to attack the Ukraine have failed.

Sending troops to Ukraine to stop the invasion would quickly escalate the war and hurt a lot more people than economic sanctions.

[jopsen → newaccount74]

Do nothing, but then we'll eventually be at war with Russia.

It's prefer Russia to be poor if we have to fight them.

Yes, there is no better alternative than sanctions.

[rimliu → dmitrygr]

How good are people being bombed in Ukraine cities feel? Only the Russian people can stop this.

[dmitrygr → rimliu]

Ever lived under a dictator? Ever tried to stop him from doing something? Ever done either of the above while having a family you care about?

At the end of the day, no sane person would place their family in mortal danger to maybe possibly potentially make life easier for a large number of unknown far away people.

[cbg0 → dmitrygr]

> Ever lived under a dictator? Ever tried to stop him from doing something? Ever done either of the above while having a family you care about?

Yes, see Romania 1989. Over 1000 people died in the streets but we got the job done.

[wadim → dmitrygr]

Didn't all of humanity at some point? Ukraine being a more recent example. And here we are, living in mostly free and democratic countries. Weird how that happened.

[iso1631 → dmitrygr]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Benito_Mussolini

> At the end of the day, no sane person would place their family in mortal danger to maybe possibly potentially make life easier for a large number of unknown far away people.

US military personnel did this. Invading Iraq increased the risk of terrorism in the US to make life easier for a few haliburton board members.

[drran → dmitrygr]

Do Italian sabotage[0] (Итальянская забастовка[1]): execute all rules and laws as precisely as possible. It's the safest form of protest.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work-to-rule

[1]: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C...

[KptMarchewa → dmitrygr]

Russians themselves have done it in 1917.

[yazaddaruvala → dmitrygr]

I read this earlier today and it clicked so well, “no country was born a democracy”.

Every democratic country in the world had at one point a few brave souls who were both sane and put themselves and their families in mortal danger to “maybe possibly potentially make life easier for a large number of unknown [not yet born] people”.

So yeah, it happens and is relatively common in history. I hope the Russian people find some extra courage and get Putin to step away from Ukraine and also Russia.

[robert_foss → dmitrygr]

To do nothing is to be complicit. Your taxes paid for this.

[jopsen → robert_foss]

Even if you don't buy the complicity by taxes argument.

What alternative do we have left? Sanctions is just the least bad thing.

[dmitrygr → robert_foss]

My taxes paid for this? I am an American citizen living in USA

[robert_foss → dmitrygr]

Ah, I assumed you meant you were living in Russia.

Either way you have connections to actual Russians, now is the time to use them.

[Yoric → dmitrygr]

(assuming that GP is not a fake – recall that in war, the first casualty is truth)

They're at war. Preparing to be bombed. Let's cut them some slack.

edit Realized that my comment was aggressive. Rewrote it a bit. Apologies for the first formulation.

[anovikov → dmitrygr]

Ukrainians have been doing this for decades. Hell, yes.

[jdrc → dmitrygr]

have some empathy man, this is terrifying