I have talked to a bunch of Russians recently who are fleeing.
There is definitely collateral damage happening for "Russians" that are not in Russia (and Belarusians). Belarus is a good example of where we've already forgotten that they voted to remove Lukaschenko and then were violently repressed because of it.
It's one thing to throw red paint at the Embassy, which is an official part of the Russian government. It's quite another to damage a shop that is "Russian" (I believe the picture I saw of this was in Germany, but I can't find it now because there is such a volume of content flowing with regard to Ukraine).
The other thing that seems to come up constantly is that it's the Russian peoples fault regardless (for not removing Putin, etc). Mostly I suspect people that live in Western democracies and have never had to fear anything.
I'm personally in favour, I think, of helping anyone that wants to leave Russia, to leave. Treating them as refugees from Putin, albiet in not quite as high risk as those in Ukraine.
If there is a brain drain out of Russia, that's a good thing until change happens.
There is definitely collateral damage happening for "Russians" that are not in Russia (and Belarusians). Belarus is a good example of where we've already forgotten that they voted to remove Lukaschenko and then were violently repressed because of it.
It's one thing to throw red paint at the Embassy, which is an official part of the Russian government. It's quite another to damage a shop that is "Russian" (I believe the picture I saw of this was in Germany, but I can't find it now because there is such a volume of content flowing with regard to Ukraine).
The other thing that seems to come up constantly is that it's the Russian peoples fault regardless (for not removing Putin, etc). Mostly I suspect people that live in Western democracies and have never had to fear anything.
I'm personally in favour, I think, of helping anyone that wants to leave Russia, to leave. Treating them as refugees from Putin, albiet in not quite as high risk as those in Ukraine.
If there is a brain drain out of Russia, that's a good thing until change happens.