The Russian liberal opposition no longer plays a primary role in the resistance movement. Even prior to Alexei Navalny’s demise, they were fractured and lacked a cohesive strategic vision. I am not a newcomer to the opposition movement; I have been observing and collaborating with them for quite some time. What truly dismayed me was their consistent reliance on tactics of "protestainment," safe and funny protests with balloons, flashlights, rubber duck toys, and so on.

I also have a keen interest in history and its teachings. At the age of 17, I even won a nationwide competition on the history of Russia. I possess some insight into the origins of this regime, which is not merely a "personalistic regime devoid of ideology," but rather a social-territorial system built upon a Soviet-imperial foundation, representing a messianic, Moscow-centric colonial empire. This Evil can only be defeated with forceful action and a coherent ideology, not with amusing toys and vague promises of "fair elections" and "anti-corruption."

In my view, those Russian opposition figures who oppose this perspective are either deluded or contribute to the problem. Many of them still yearn for the "Russia before February 24," a time when they considered themselves part of an elite and enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle in Moscow and St. Petersburg. They seem indifferent to the suffering of Ukrainians, Georgians, and Chechens (and Russians in its core regions as well), yet harbor an anti-Western sentiment, believing that the West owes them something.

It appears that they are now attempting to replicate their Moscow lifestyle in Berlin, Brussels, and Vilnius. I am referring to figures such as Navalny’s team, Khodorkovsky’s team, the Free Russia Foundation, Maksim Katz, and other minor players. Some, like TV Rain journalists and comedian Viktor Shenderovich, have even referred to Russian troops, perpetrators of war crimes, as "our boys." This disgusts me. Westerners should no longer endorse this corrupt product.

The true heroes, the genuine opposition, and the real resistance consist of those courageous men and women who are currently fighting side by side with their Ukrainian counterparts within the ranks of the Russian Volunteer Corps, Freedom of Russia Legion, and Siberian Battalion. They are fighting for Ukraine’s freedom and for the liberation of their own land from a century-long dictatorship, from those who have turned our nation into a fragmented and disoriented populace, from those who imprison our fellow citizens for peaceful protest and kill them in custody.

While some may object to the nationalist or separatist viewpoints of certain participants in the armed resistance, if they reject the Putin regime, genuinely support Ukraine, and oppose Kremlin’s imperial policies, those details become irrelevant. We are battling against the Evil that threatens the world with nuclear weapons, not for our own moral purity.

From the international community, we need recognition of our right to employ armed resistance against the sadistic Putin regime, not merely short-term funding for amusing performances or yet another misguided report on a "normal Russia." We have a lengthy path ahead of us and there will never be a return to this semblant “pre-Feb-24-normality.”