Whenever the topic turns to Ukraine vs Russia, I have noticed some people coming out of woodwork to assert that Russia is corrupted country. Now I will give you that Putin is a dictator as he has been a president for a long ass time and probably ordering his subordinates to kill his political dissidents but is there a lockdown and arrest of citizens? I want to know actually as the propaganda's everywhere that exaggerates a lot of things.
I want to also ask hypothetical question, if countries like Russia, China, Canada and Britain offered people temporary asylum and actually made effort to accommodate them for not understanding their own language, what country normies will choose, I wonder?
And as for me, you probably know what I will choose.
Most westerners have no concept of Russia, its culture, language, or historical significance and just kind of regurgitate what they've heard. This is true of both the left and the right, with the left thinking its a pariah and the right thinking its some sort of savior.
The truth is more in the middle, specifically with regards to corruption it is much more direct than most westerners are used to. That being direct bribes to police and bureaucrats (think DMV) are routine business, most paychecks come under the table, and if you do manage to climb the ladder somehow you will be crushed.
I lived there a few years and have many positive things to say about the people and the culture, but it remains an awful and oppressive place to live and work especially if you are any race but Russian. Despite the flaws of the West, it is still much friendlier to commerce than China or Russia (especially to outsiders) and until that changes the West will always be the destination country of normies and everyone else wanting to earn a living. It is as simple as being able to put food on the table.