Intel and AMD confirm that they will no longer supply processors to Russia and Belarus – Computer – News

Those 140 million (at least, the part that doesn’t support Putin, a lot of people believe everything that Russia Today tells them) have long since given up. The idea that Putin is not a cool peer is nothing new among them, but they no longer believe in regime change. You always have a few demonstrating, even now, but nobody is surprised when they are dealt with harshly.

This is not a democracy where people think “oh this leader is a jerk, let’s vote for someone else”. And it’s not the Netherlands, where you can get what you want with a few tractors on the Malieveld, a few on the highway blocking ambulances, and maybe a confiscated police station. The Russian government is unimpressed by half-hearted tulip Taliban terror.

This is a country that is not inferior to China or Saudi Arabia. Where the hammering of protesters together is an ordinary Wednesday. Where some serious political opponents spontaneously commit suicide by shooting themselves 3 bullets in the back of the head or get hungry for a nice bite of polonium. They don’t change that easily.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do anything. Russia has gone far and far too far. It’s more that it’s very difficult to do something that actually has an effect. Ideally, we would render Russia’s nuclear arsenal harmless and useless, and take out Putin and his cabinet directly, but he won’t be. And even then it would be questionable whether it will work, the West has tried that before in such countries.

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