Support Russians Supporting Ukraine
Solidarity means supporting Russians in their support of Ukraine. This is Putin's war, and Russia, Ukraine, and the world need fewer, not more, autocrats.
GDP per capita in Russia is approximately US$ 10,000, according to the World Bank ( https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD... ). For Ukraine, it is less than US$ 4,000. For comparison, the US is around $63K, the UK is $41K, and France is $39K. Russia is, in fact, a poor country, and Ukraine is even poorer. But here's the kicker: Russia is also tops in inequality, making the inequality we rightly decry in the US appear to be anything but that. Think I'm kidding? Behold:
"Russia is the most unequal major economy in the world, with almost two-thirds of its wealth controlled by millionaires, a wealth research company has said.
Sixty-two percent of Russia’s wealth is held by U.S. dollar-millionaires and 26 percent of its wealth is held by billionaires, New World Wealth said in a report on Wednesday. Russia’s economy is climbing out of recession and the International Monetary Fund sees it growing by 1 percent in 2017." ( (https://www.cnbc.com/.../russia-is-the-most-unequal-major... )
There can be no doubt but that grave inequality and corruption have been behind the rise of Trumpism in the US. Putin perfected the modern kleptocratic dictatorship in Russia, and his finger is on the nuclear button.
Supporting pro-democracy movements matters now more than ever, and doing the right thing for us also means amplifying the anti-corruption, pro-democracy, and anti-war voices and efforts in the Russian community, in benefit of Ukraine.
Click here for the Free Russia Foundation’s Help People in Ukraine fundraiser: ( https://www.facebook.com/donate/655404655768098/10225410848031755/ )
/rant