Yes, ordinary Russians have a responsibility
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Many say we must distinguish between Putin’s war in Ukraine and ordinary Russians. It is claimed that the ordinary Russian has no responsibility. Of course, we should not cover everyone under the same comb, but in general I believe that the Russians themselves have a responsibility for what happens. I have to justify this.
A country is responsible for the leader they have
Although the elections in Russia are not democratic, it is in fact the Russians themselves who do not settle with the Putin regime. I know that all opposition to the dictatorship is being cracked down on. Nevertheless, it is a responsibility to have a leader who is mentally stable and represents the people he governs.
No matter how brutally a regime cracks down on resistance, it is in fact also a responsibility to do so. The parallel between Hitler and Putin is striking. Putin came to power in Russia when the country actually had a young but vulnerable democracy. The people chose him then. Of course, the people did not then show in which direction Putin would take them. Nevertheless, it is the people’s responsibility who they actually chose. Hitler also received great support through elections, which meant that he eventually took power and abolished democracy. In practice, Putin also abolished democracy in Russia.
Putin himself does not press the button to send the rockets into apartment blocks
The terrorist bombing we have seen in Kyiv and especially in Kharkiv is cruel. Rockets are fired at apartment blocks crammed with people. Anyone who has seen typical Soviet-era apartment blocks knows how small the apartments are and how many people live there. Putin is the one who has the total responsibility. It is he, as a dictator, who says that this is perfectly fine. But he is not actually the one who does it physically. Those who physically fire the rockets or drop bombs in residential areas are the ones who perform an action. They have a responsibility.
Putin is obviously not at the front line himself. He is probably safely kept in a bunker somewhere in Russia. But committing such war crimes is a responsibility of the individual. There are an estimated 150-200,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Each of them has a responsibility.
The Germans’ responsibility for the extermination of the Jews
It is discussed to what extent most Germans showed what was going on in the concentration camps, what they thought was happening to their Jewish neighbors, etc. The vast majority of Germans showed or had a suspicion that something terrible was happening. Yet few stood up to Hitler. of course it was dangerous, of course they risked their own lives. The fact is that despite this, the Germans showed up in the thousands to pay tribute to their leader when he gave one of his propaganda speeches. Instead of turning their backs, they wait their arm up to the sky and a “Sieg heil”
Hitler’s dream of rebuilding Germany’s pride is quite similar to Putin’s dream of rebuilding the Soviet empire. Fascism appears in a new disguise through Putin. But the content is the same. Total power to a small elite. In fact, it is the Russian people themselves who must remove their version of fascism.