The fact is that I communicate with foreign players mainly only in LFS and discord servers dedicated to the game.
I see how the level of xenophobia and discrimination against Russians has increased many times. I often see people saying "I hate Russians", "Russian monkeys" and so on.
As an absolutist of the right to freedom of speech, I want to give these people a platform to speak out, to understand what led them to this, and why they have such positions. So that they could express their positions in detail and meaningfully without insults and excessive emotions, so that a meaningful discussion could be born.

As we all understand, most of these sentiments are due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. But is worth understanding that the absolute majority of Russians did not start this war, it was started by the government leadership. I hope you understand that Government is not equal to the country. Like many Russians, I am against it. But the interesting thing is that many Western people are for it, even if they say "no war" with words, they say "yes war" with deeds.

In my opinion, as I said earlier about the situation, Putin and the current regime there largely appeared because of Western policy towards Russia. There was a time in Russia when it could have become a liberal-demacratic country. But instead, from the West there was only a violation of the agreements that led to what we have today. If simplify it a lot, that's how Putin appeared.

But many from the West are still helping him even during this war, for example, sanctions on disabling Swift, and disabling Russian visa and master card. These sanctions do not affect Putin and his entourage in any way, but affect ordinary people as a measure of collective responsibility.
After February 24, many Russians began to sell their assets and leave the country. And this could significantly hit the country's economy and Putin's ability to wage war. But the West has imposed these sanctions, and ordinary people have lost the opportunity to do this. I.e., the West wants to accomulate all the money inside Russia, so that it would be easier for Putin to wage war.
Also, the West has forced many companies to leave Russia, as another measure of collective responsibility for ordinary people. Which pushed the Russian market to its production of many goods.
Many countries have banned Russians from entering their countries. Many flights from Russia have been banned.
Each such measure of collective responsibility unites the people of Russia for Putin and his actions.

Collective responsibility is a measure of tatolitarian regimes from the 20th century. "the resettlement of peoples", "dekulakization","the great terror", "the solution of the Jewish question" We used to think that this is wrong.
And I have always believed that collective responsibility is wrong, I have always believed that only the criminal is to blame for the crime. And only he needs to be punished. (and not his whole people, his whole family, etc.) But the West does not think so. And I don't understand why so many people think this is right. Thus uniting the people with Putin, and they prolong the war even more. That still doesn't make me a Putin supporter. But this makes me doubt the West.

Is this my take on the situation. I would like to know yours.

Blame should never be placed on the people themselves. I don't agree with conflict. I've only met and spoke to a handful of Russian and Ukrainian people IRL and have only good things to say.

Quote from Aleksandr_124rus :

As we all understand, most of these sentiments are due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. But is worth understanding that the absolute majority of Russians did not start this war, it was started by the government leadership. I hope you understand that Government is not equal to the country. Like many Russians, I am against it. But the interesting thing is that many Western people are for it, even if they say "no war" with words, they say "yes war" with deeds.

Ironically you really emphasized the distinction between government and people in Russia. But then went on to say that the western people support war with their deeds.

Quote from pärtan :

Ironically you really emphasized the distinction between government and people in Russia. But then went on to say that the western people support war with their deeds.

Yes, I was talking about those who do it in the leadership of their countries. Not people in general. Perhaps this is an inaccuracy on my part. But this also applies to those who support it.

I think we often use different words in order to simplify or generalize some more complex concepts, what is often unclear.

In my post, I also used the word "west", but if you think about it, what is the west? The West is a lot of different countries, with different cultures and histories. But by saying "west" I hope that people understand that I mean a certain policy the leadership of these countries as the European Union and Nato led by the United States. We often use such generalizations, and if people under the word "people" "Russian" are talking about government policy, then I have no questions for them.

Quote from Aleksandr_124rus :

Yes, I was talking about those who do it in the leadership of their countries. Not people in general. Perhaps this is an inaccuracy on my part. But this also applies to those who support it.

That's fair enough. I guess it was just a typo on your part. But yea, even in our democractic systems where officials aren't poisoned by other officials. We as citizens don't have a great deal of influence military stuff other than how much money to allocate.

And I don't have anything against russians as long as they aren't kremlin supporters.

I'm not against any nationality. Or race/gender/sexuality/whatever. I'm against Putin, and the war. I appreciate that not all Russians support the war, and that the west have played a part in creating this situation.

I don't want to discuss the war any more than that (LFS is where I come to get away from the real world!), but I would like you to know that I consider you guys friends. When I fight you on the track it's for points, not because of your nationality

If I'm slow to notice bad behaviour on PM it's because I'm racing, not because I don't care - don't be shy about bringing it my attention if I haven't seen it.

As a guy who was brought up all his life in atonement for what the Nazis did, who was again and again being told that it happened because those that opposed the Nazis or were indifferent kept quiet for too long, including my direct ancestors, it feels pretty hard to just go "it's Russian government that's responsible, not the people."

We see the Russian cyber commands trying to meddle with our domestic politics, we see our own social structures crumble in the Russian energy monkey wrench, we see half of Africa yearning for literal food held hostage, we see Russian kids forming Z-symbols on propaganda photos that look awfully similar to those we have in our history text books about the 1930s...

It's you, the Russian population (ofc meaning those old enough to vote at the respective time, be politically active etc), who made it possible. Who kept reelecting Putin and who kept him chipping away on any governmental control and checks and balances till we had today's system that no longer allows for any interference.
I have Russian coworkers, living here in Germany, who have the exact same opinion as I do, who mostly either exclude any politics when phoning home to keep any sort of friendly contact, or who have literally been cast out by their indoctrinated families. I even have a friend who's brother married a Russian woman in Russia last year, and that woman has not talked to her mum since March as the mum trusts the TV more than her own child.

So in short, I don't hate Russians. I hate what they allowed to happen. But the longer this goes on, the harder it becomes to keep that distinction.

(For what it's worth I have the exact same sentiment towards the rise of christo-fascism in the USA. And other domestic political currents. I'm probably just a bitter old **** these days)

The distinction between race and religion is the most unnecessary thing in this life. Muslim or Christian, every human being lives together on a round planet, this world is built on wars.

Quote from ACCAkut :

As a guy who was brought up all his life in atonement for what the Nazis did, who was again and again being told that it happened because those that opposed the Nazis or were indifferent kept quiet for too long, including my direct ancestors, it feels pretty hard to just go "it's Russian government that's responsible, not the people."

I think it is wrong to condemn all Germans for what happened in the 30s and 40s of the last century. Just as it is wrong to punish the son for the sins of the father. In the same way, it is wrong to punish the whole people for the sins of their government. For me, this is an intuitively obvious thing. And this applies not only to the German heirs, but also to those Germans who lived during the Nazi era and those who do not support them. Only the criminal is guilty of the crime. Those who supported him are only morally to blame. They can be morally condemned, but no more than that.

Quote from ACCAkut :

It's you, the Russian population (ofc meaning those old enough to vote at the respective time, be politically active etc), who made it possible. Who kept reelecting Putin and who kept him chipping away on any governmental control and checks and balances till we had today's system that no longer allows for any interference."

"It's you, the Russian population" ... . I'm is me. I am not the population. You're using uncorrected generalizations. Because of this, it becomes unclear what you want to say. Voting in Russia means nothing for a long time. They will draw the any numbers they need. And politically active means passive prisoner. I think too much time has passed in Germany and you began to forget what a tatolitarian country is.. You can read George Orwell's 1984 for a good description of what Russia has become today.
If you are talking about the fact that I am guilty of today's Russian politics, that it is so wrong on so many levels that I don't even know where to start. I am truly sorry if you are or someone else so entrenched in the modern left-liberal agenda that you feel guilty about what the Nazis did. Propaganda is the same everywhere. Someone makes Zwastikas with children, and someone considers himself guilty of Nazi crimes. Both are bullshit of the same level.

Quote from ACCAkut :

So in short, I don't hate Russians. I hate what they allowed to happen. But the longer this goes on, the harder it becomes to keep that distinction.(For what it's worth I have the exact same sentiment towards the rise of christo-fascism in the USA. And other domestic political currents. I'm probably just a bitter old **** these days)

Year 2000. Here is a person nominated by the president who positions himself as a liberal and a Democrat. He says that he will ensure all freedoms and rights, that the elections will be free and the media uncontrolled. And after he becomes president, he very smoothly selects the media for himself so that no one notices, he slowly begins to make a cult of personality and brainwash people. Yes, he had good reforms and the economy grew a lot under him. He did some of the right things, so much so that if he stepped down as constitutional president in 2008, I'd say he was a not bad president. But he's been lying, he's been lying all this time. a lot of what he said, in fact, he did the opposite. It became obvious only in 2012 when he was nominated for the 3rd term, although he said that he would not do it. He managed to fool about half of the population during this time. What is left for the rest of the part that noticed this? People went to rallies. A column of protesters was cut off on the island and crushed. Later, he killed, imprisoned, or forced out of the country all the oppositionists. And he made a full-fledged police state, where there are 10 police officers for one block. And there are hundreds of them in the city center. This is a situation that cannot be avoided. Or show me how?

Quote from Aleksandr_124rus :

I think it is wrong to condemn all Germans for what happened in the 30s and 40s of the last century. Just as it is wrong to punish the son for the sins of the father. In the same way, it is wrong to punish the whole people for the sins of their government. For me, this is an intuitively obvious thing. And this applies not only to the German heirs, but also to those Germans who lived during the Nazi era and those who do not support them. Only the criminal is guilty of the crime. Those who supported him are only morally to blame. They can be morally condemned, but no more than that.

The acceptance of other’s commiting a crime and not saying/protesting it can be viewed as a crime itself, called Ommision. Something for which many Germans would be guilty of, also how they are still sentencing old employees of the concentration camps with. But many of the German populance in 1930-1940 knew about it and did nothing, so by voting in that leader, election after election, i can understand foreigners blaming the people who elected him for allowing that to happen.

Quote from timdecnodder :

The acceptance of other’s commiting a crime and not saying/protesting it can be viewed as a crime itself, called Ommision. Something for which many Germans would be guilty of, also how they are still sentencing old employees of the concentration camps with. But many of the German populance in 1930-1940 knew about it and did nothing, so by voting in that leader, election after election, i can understand foreigners blaming the people who elected him for allowing that to happen.

You only need to elect a corrupt leader once and usually done so innocently by the people as it's only later that their true colors are shown, then they will take out any opposition and/or rig future elections.

Quote from Aleksandr_124rus :

The fact is that I communicate with foreign players mainly only in LFS and discord servers dedicated to the game.
I see how the level of xenophobia and discrimination against Russians has increased many times. I often see people saying "I hate Russians", "Russian monkeys" and so on.
As an absolutist of the right to freedom of speech, I want to give these people a platform to speak out, to understand what led them to this, and why they have such positions. So that they could express their positions in detail and meaningfully without insults and excessive emotions, so that a meaningful discussion could be born.

It's propaganda, daily bombardment of lies, twisted stories and social media group forming.

I do not hate Russians, I hate stupid people. And there are lot of them lately, it appears that the majority had no education at all or at least skipped some history lessons.

Quote from ACCAkut :

trusts the TV more than her own child.

yeah, way to many people doing that, it's sick

Quote from ACCAkut :

we see Russian kids forming Z-symbols on propaganda photos that look awfully similar to those we have in our history text books about the 1930s...

Right.. you are watching the wrong photos.

Maybe that flag needs some clarification. Its the Ukrainian Insurgent Army flag. It stands for ultra right nationalism and can be classified as worse as nazism or even worse then that. It represents genocide

I can tell more but most people of your type are complete deaf/blind. I really wonder how thats possible!

Quote from cargame.nl :

It's propaganda, daily bombardment of lies, twisted stories and social media group forming.

Yes, it was just like you said. But what is "propaganda"? I understand propaganda as a intentionally biased presentation of information from the media. (Lie, half-truths, showing only one side of the truth when in fact there is another)

But you also show only one side of the truth here.

Maybe it's okay to tell only one side of a person who knows nothing about it. But in this message, I just don’t understand then how to separate you from someone who has heard enough of propaganda.

Quote from cargame.nl :

Right.. you are watching the wrong photos.

Maybe that flag needs some clarification. Its the Ukrainian Insurgent Army flag. It stands for ultra right nationalism and can be classified as worse as nazism or even worse then that. It represents genocide

I can tell more but most people of your type are complete deaf/blind. I really wonder how thats possible!

This is true, these things happened. As well as about the Azov regiment, as well as about the right sector, and about Yarosh. And the neo-Nazis who came to power in Ukraine in 2014. But If we talk about today, there are nationalists and Nazis in Ukraine. They are in Russia, they are in almost any country. I dont see how it be an argument for anything.

You could find the same photos from the "Russian Marches" in Google, you could find a former high official, and the former head of Rosskosmos Dmitry Rogozin, who throws a zig heil at one of these marches. Or about Alexey melchakov. Or about "Restruct". Or about the battalion "Rusich", which has been fighting in Ukraine since 2014 and is a combat unit of Russian neo-Nazis. Or about other similar units. And many similar things in Russia. I just listed the ones that popped into my head first.
Based on your comment and how you wrote it, I doubt you knew about it.

All that you have written are the things that the Russian media constantly talk about, which all other countries call propaganda. And I can confirm that. Our media often openly lie, substitute the truth or speak only about one side beneficial to the country's leadership. The Russian media different from many others that it is state propaganda.

I don't think there are still objective mass media right now in the world. Everyone is doing propaganda. And if you think you are not exposed to propaganda now, then I doubt very much. Everyone is exposed to it, even me. The main thing is to begin to understand this, and read the maximum number of conflicting sources. To start getting closer to the truth.

Quote from timdecnodder :

The acceptance of other’s commiting a crime and not saying/protesting it can be viewed as a crime itself, called Ommision. Something for which many Germans would be guilty of, also how they are still sentencing old employees of the concentration camps with. But many of the German populance in 1930-1940 knew about it and did nothing, so by voting in that leader, election after election, i can understand foreigners blaming the people who elected him for allowing that to happen.

Some people don't know what to do, some people are afraid for their families or loved ones, some people don't have the opportunity...
If a person publicly took out a knife in front of you, and while you were thinking, stabbed a person standing next to you and ran away. Then it's your fault? Because I didn't react fast enough? Or because you're scared? Don't you understand that this is nonsense? All people are different, who are not very smart, but very kind, someone reacts slowly, although he knows a lot of things. You can not apply to them the guilt of what they did not do the same. If a dying person lies in front of you, and you do not know how to help him, you can't be punished for hes die.


Strictly speaking, you can't be judged for something you didn't do. Crime is an act.

Just my opinion, as someone who has been following this sort of things for years.
I have no skin in this game and in my opinion, as is my opinion with almost all wars, both sides can be blamed.
Just stop war's over resources and lets all work together as humanity is my view.
That opinion and $5.00 gets you a cup of coffee...

NATO has held a very expansionist view for many years and has been pushing for a conflict with Russia for decades.

"The opposing view argues that Russia’s security concerns are in fact genuine, and that NATO expansion eastward is seen by Russians as directed against their country. Putin has been clear for many years that if continued, the expansion would likely be met with serious resistance by the Russians, even with military action."

"That perspective isn’t held just by Russians; some influential American foreign policy experts have subscribed to it as well.

Among others, Biden’s CIA director, William J. Burns, has been warning about the provocative effect of NATO expansion on Russia since 1995. That’s when Burns, then a political officer in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, reported to Washington that “hostility to early NATO expansion is almost universally felt across the domestic political spectrum here.”
https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-follows-decades-of-warnings-that-nato-expansion-into-eastern-europe-could-provoke-russia-177999

Generally, if you keep pushing then you get pushback. Welcome to any fight.

Here is a 2020 article
https://www.cato.org/commentary/nato-provoking-russian-military-build-kaliningrad
"Vladimir Putin’s government defends the Kaliningrad buildup as a response to NATO’s increasingly menacing behavior along the borders of the Russian Federation. Unfortunately, that justification has some merit. NATO has engaged in an alarming number of provocations in recent years. The political decision to expand the alliance to incorporate not only the members of the defunct Warsaw Pact, but also the three Baltic states that had been part of the USSR, was itself a decidedly unfriendly act. But NATO has engaged in a number of specific military actions that have exacerbated tensions."

I suggest actually studying the history of this conflict before rushing to a decision regarding right or wrong for either side.

https://www.codastory.com/news/ukraine-s-anti-russian-language-bill-becomes-law/
"...but it has been backed by Ukrainian lawmakers keen to promote the country’s national identity amidst the three-year-old conflict with Russia."
2017

Ukraine History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uyHWEOoPnM&ab_channel=KingsandGenerals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3sHsoHPavA&list=PLaBYW76inbX4jqNGixaoL1xQ_pMwNGIXG&index=11&ab_channel=Jabzy

Quote from Racer X NZ :

I suggest actually studying the history of this conflict before rushing to a decision regarding right or wrong for either side.

Yes, on my first link in this thread, I spoke about this, back on February 26th after the start of the war. In my opinion this is the real reason of the war. Not Nazis, not demilitarization, not chemical laboratories, not nuclear developments of Ukraine. Namely, the expansion of the NATO bloc. Which was expanded in violation of the agreements between the West and the Soviet Union.

But it doesn't make much sense in relation to the geopolitical situation. Russia has already had a sluggish military conflict in the Donbas. This was enough for Ukraine not to be accepted into Nato (For admission to Nato, there is a rule that there should be no international military conflicts on the territory of your country) The Nazis who came to power in Ukraine in 2014 gave power to Poroshenko, in whose elections they scored about 1%. So why was there a large-scale attack in 2022? In my opinion, Putin is a consumer of his own propaganda or he is just gradually losing touch with reality for various reasons. For some reason, he decided that there are more threats from Nato now than in 2014? There are no such prerequisites until February 24. And after that, there were 2 more countries that joined NATO because of Putin's actions.
Many of Russians whom he wanted to protect died cuz of Putin decisions. The northern front of the offensive was defeated.
And the conflict has been protracted for more than half a year which was the result of the death of tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian civilians.. where I personally do not make a distinction, and even before 2014 I considered Russians and Urkains to be one people. Almost all Ukrainians spoke Russian, even in Kyiv, and they were carriers of the same culture. But Putin is doing everything so that the Ukrainians have their own national identity. Now speaking Russian in Ukraine is becoming more and more unacceptable. He makes Ukraine a full-fledged nationality.

In my opinion, this war is not only a crime, but also a geopolitical mistake. Which today has not brought anything but deaths, a worsening economic situation, and a worsening of the geopolitical situation for Russia.

Quote from cargame.nl :

Right.. you are watching the wrong photos.

...how stupid do you think I or anyone else could be?




but I'm sure you lot will explain to me how all these were produced by actors in evil NATO states.

..and if anyone thinks "why is idiot ACC still responding to these guys", well, one got to have some principle

Quote from ACCAkut :

We see the Russian cyber commands trying to meddle with our domestic politics,

I wonder if you have any examples of it, it's actually interesting

Quote from ACCAkut :

we see our own social structures crumble in the Russian energy monkey wrench,

That's the fault of your government which insisted on signing a contract which price depends on stock market. If the contract had fixed price, there would be no problem.

Quote from ACCAkut :

we see half of Africa yearning for literal food held hostage,

If only it was safe to transport grain in these conditions, the shore near Odessa is mined and there is a risk that the ships may be attacked by Ukrainian forces to later blame Russia for another "war crime". Not to mention that Russia has recently signed an agreement to let the ships export the Ukrainian grain, so what you're saying is old news.

Quote from ACCAkut :

we see Russian kids forming Z-symbols on propaganda photos that look awfully similar to those we have in our history text books about the 1930s...

That's what you see. In fact, letter Z was used alongside other letters (O, V, X) to mark parts of Russian army depending on where they come from. It has nothing to do with any nazi symbol, it doesn't even look similar to wolf's hook which slightly modified version was used by Azov. The same rhetorics could be used to say that letter O and black sun is the same thing. The only thing I can agree with is that one shouldn't bring children into this.

Quote from Aleksandr_124rus :

But If we talk about today, there are nationalists and Nazis in Ukraine. They are in Russia, they are in almost any country. I dont see how it be an argument for anything.

It can be an argument, because there is no state in modern world which could be compared to Ukraine in terms of nazi involvement in army and state policy. There is no excuse for a nation which praises nazi collaborators as national heroes. And yes, there are nazis in other countries, including Russia, but they're a minority which is hated by society.

Quote from Aleksandr_124rus :

But instead, from the West there was only a violation of the agreements that led to what we have today. If simplify it a lot, that's how Putin appeared...

...Namely, the expansion of the NATO bloc. Which was expanded in violation of the agreements between the West and the Soviet Union.

I always read your articles with pleasure. I find them clear, precise and well documented. Also, I am surprised that a person as intelligent and rigorous as you, repeatedly relays these elements of propaganda.

All specialists in international agreements affirm it: there was never a formal agreement guaranteeing the USSR that NATO would not expand (neither at the signing of the Warsaw Pact, nor at the time of its dissolution, nor at any other time in history with Russia and in any agreement). It is a proven historical fact.

The West has its faults and there are many. NATO enlargement is perhaps the main cause of the war in Ukraine, as you claim. But this (opportunistic) extension was not done in violation of an agreement. The West is not guilty of this original fault which would have led to the advent of Putin (and which would authorize Putin to violate all the agreements signed regarding Ukraine). Do your own research on this and you will find that I am telling the truth.

For the rest I agree with you. It is absolutely foolish to blame the Russian people as a whole for Putin's actions.

Quote from Avraham Vandezwin :

All specialists in international agreements affirm it: there was never a formal agreement guaranteeing the USSR that NATO would not expand (neither at the signing of the Warsaw Pact, nor at the time of its dissolution, nor at any other time in history with Russia and in any agreement). It is a proven historical fact.

Yes, you're right, there is no document on paper. It was a verbal agreement, as Gorbachev and his European colleagues said. That is, Nato understood that Russia was against expansion. And that's what I was talking about.
On this occasion, an answer was even given by one of the parties to the agreement. That is - "the agreement was with the USSR and not with Russia." Very mocking.

And it was not difficult to understand even without an agreement, because it is already recognized that NATO was created as an opposing force of the USSR. And Russia is now the legal successor of the USSR. Of course, Russia does not want expansion, especially in her direction. And today Russia has already caught up with the USSR on many points, with rights, politics, brainwashing of people. Things have not changed much since the Soviet Union. Only there was a decrease in territory and ideologies.

Because the country's leadership was made to understand that when you behave liberally, you will be pushed around and ignored at best. And Russia still remembers that when you are authoritarian, if you increasing its military capabilities, and has aggressive rhetoric, then they are afraid of you, then they start listening to you. This is a very clear psychological concept.

No matter how many centuries have passed, even in the modern geopolitical world, everything is decided by force.

Quote from -verde- :

It can be an argument, because there is no state in modern world which could be compared to Ukraine in terms of nazi involvement in army and state policy. There is no excuse for a nation which praises nazi collaborators as national heroes. And yes, there are nazis in other countries, including Russia, but they're a minority which is hated by society.

Here we go again.. Why every time I read you I feel like I'm watching Russian TV? I'm not interested in talking with Soloviev's and Kiselev's teiks. Do you have anything of your own? No? Well, then I'll have to answer what I have here.

Quote from -verde- :

Ukraine in terms of nazi involvement in army

And what? need to kill a bunch of Russian cuz of that? Mariupol is a Russian-speaking city, many of those living there identified themselves as Russians. Thanks to Russia's actions, there is nothing left of him. Like many other cities that were destroyed as a result of the outbreak of this war. And who knows how many people are still lying under the rubble.
Russia have nazi involvement in army too. So what we do then? Kill a buch of Tatars, or what? You read my message... But how it came to the Nazis in Russia who are supported by today's politics that ill mention, you did not mention it. You only mention what is beneficial to you. Everyone remembers the definition of propaganda that I gave above?

Quote from -verde- :

in state policy

Show me a single one nazi in 2022 Ukrainian state policy or that is bullshit.

Quote from -verde- :

And yes, there are nazis in other countries, including Russia, but they're a minority which is hated by society.

We hate them so much that we take them to work in the Wagner PMC or in other battalions like "Rusich" which fought in the Donbass... Society hates and the state works with them, a very hypocritical convenient position for someone like you.

Quote from Aleksandr_124rus :

Yes, you're right, there is no document on paper. It was a verbal agreement, as Gorbachev and his European colleagues said. That is, Nato understood that Russia was against expansion. And that's what I was talking about...
...And Russia still remembers that when you are authoritarian, if you increasing its military capabilities, and has aggressive rhetoric, then they are afraid of you, then they start listening to you. This is a very clear psychological concept.

No matter how many centuries have passed, even in the modern geopolitical world, everything is decided by force.

I don't know what verbal agreement you are referring to with the Europeans. I know there were discussions in early 1990 between United States Secretary of State James Baker and Mikhail Gorbachev. These discussions are recorded in this document:

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/16116-document-05-memorandum-conversation-between

It was still only a question here of the status of reunified Germany at the time of the Soviet Union and the inclusion of the GDR within NATO. At that time, before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the question of an expansion of NATO further east did not arise. The collapse of the Soviet Union created a vacuum and big instability. NATO came to fill this void, and to accompany (in its own way...) the emancipation of the peoples. There was never any question of humiliating Russia.

People of my generation saw the fall of the Berlin Wall as a hope. They wanted to believe that Russia would be a new country that would emancipate itself from authoritarianism. It is clear that every step towards a normalization of East-West relations today comes at a high price.

It will not be taken out of my head that Russia had its agenda. That European leaders have fallen into the trap set for them. The force of which you speak is not simply for internal use. The force of which you speak is now working openly for a new global balance of which current events and their consequences are only the premises...

Quote from timdecnodder :

But many of the German populance in 1930-1940 knew about it and did nothing, so by voting in that leader, election after election, i can understand foreigners blaming the people who elected him for allowing that to happen.

You should understand that there are no real elections in russia exist. Opposition politicians get rejected from it, being arrested (or even killed sometimes). Budget workers (schools, police, army etc.) being told that they will lose their job if they won't vote for the most known applicant.
90% of old people watch propaganda on tv and they think everything there is truth.
Some people are just stupid and believe in their promises.
Also well known fact is falsification, there are a lot of cases

I have friends both in Europe and Ukraine, I myself am from Russia, any sane person will not support any war, it's very sad that there are so many stupid people who believe that every Russian is responsible for all this, in every country people want life in peace and prosperity.
Alas, if you read Ukrainian propaganda or look at the comments of some users from Ukraine, you will inadvertently begin to support this war and respond with the same amount of shit poured on ordinary people, although those responsible for all this sit much higher.
Alas, there is a boomerang effect here, some write - kill Russians, Russians read this and respond in kind, idiocy, especially considering that during the USSR everyone was essentially brothers and did not differ in blood.

I have good friends here and there, but, alas, some people have become the strongest victims of propaganda and from the outside now look like fascists in reality, and it doesn’t matter if they come from Europe, Ukraine or Russia.
Living in the capitals of Russia, I don’t see every day a bunch of cars with the letter “Z” pasted on, I don’t see what they constantly post on social networks, news, etc., these are all isolated cases that simply force for their own benefit.
My advice - do not succumb to vile propaganda, there are good people everywhere ... although it is hard to believe that the generation that was raised on Russophobia can now be saved