I mean, did almost 50% of the voting population elect Putin twice? Cuz personally that’s where I draw the line for blaming the entire country vs just the government for the government’s actions.
Worth noting though, blaming the country doesn’t mean blaming every citizen like you’ve implied - obviously a lot of people have done everything they can and aren’t complicit in this, I just think when there’s better than even odds that a random American either didn’t vote or voted for trump that a few good apples don’t redeem the bunch.
This would genuinely improve my faith in humanity so much if true, so I really hope you end up being right. It doesn’t change my outlook until then, but a little hope never hurt anyone lol