Oh, sure, let's ignore imperialism, colonialism, racism, sexism, everything...it's just dialectics of history
Let's ignore Lukashenka's regimen. We also had authoritarians in the past, right? Or were occupied by such, so who cares? Yeah, current Russia is the same country as current Germany, sure...
It's just that Germany admitted the horrors of Hitler and paid the price and for decades now is the engine of democratic Europe. While Soviet Russia or even Russia today never admit the horrors of Stalin or Soviet Russia. I never blame common people other than theirs conformism (the form that you suggest here), but I hate corrupt, imperial thirsty, killing and dominating thirty Russian government, which is based on mafia model. If you want to understand Putin and how things work in Russia, read Godfather. While Germany and other ex authoritarian regimes (like Spain's f.e.) went democratic ways, Russia never did and they still demoralize and oppress their people. Finally Belarus people woke up and stood up, showing that they are worth something as society, that they are not slaves, but they have been silenced and oppressed for more than 2 decades and they still are, but at least they stood up for struggle! Hobbes described the state of nature as "the war of all against all" and civic society was the society of law. Eventually that law became democratic, that's the best what we are capable of thus far. I can put it even more clearly: either you want to enslave and dominate or you sublimate your inner beast to moral act and egalitarian goals. Sure, let's justify Russia, China, all the the political oppression in the world because "other countries did something like that in the past". Exactly, in the past. History goes forward. Unfortunately, some old regimes still play the same authoritarian games enslaving millions of people. It's naive to think that current CSKA doesn't have any ties with Putin's clan, actually any big capital is Russia is related with it one way or another. It has nothing to do with russophobia, I love Russian post punk, KINO and stuff and read Russian novels, but it doesn't mean I forget history. If you're not turned on to politics, politics will turn on you. You don't run to people who enslaved your families 30 years ago, you don't work and ask money from the country (specially from formations as CSKA which has direct ties with bloody "governement") which denies all the brutalities that they committed upon us. Grigonis will become the entertainer of Putin and CSKA plays a huge role of Russian imperialist sentiment in sports area. If you don't understand that, you don't ever read G. Orwell and his words should be carefully contemplated: “Those who control the present, control the past and those who control the past control the future.”
It was clear foul by Louvergne...I turn on LRT and the redneck blackhole basketball planet open up. Rytis Kazlauskas is the most patient guy in the planet.