Public Fairness AssessmentTM
Initiated by: B.D.

Should we help ordinary Russians survive Putin’s war financially—and if so, how?

(What's the right thing to do morally--and practically? What will help end both the war and Putin's misinformation war?)
Public verdict: WE SHOULD SUPPORT DIGITAL CURRENCIES LIKE BITCOIN! If citizens can save and spend money in digital form, they aren't vulnerable to government interference. At the same time, large accounts can be blocked.
14 jurors voted to form this verdict and were awarded 280 RHU. Check your balance to see if you qualified. Log in
Case description
We all recognize that ordinary citizens have little control over wars their leaders get their country into. Sometimes citizens are also misled by false information and straight propaganda.

Few people have sympathy for oligarchs hiding super yachts, but most empathize with ordinary people struggling to feed their kids and pay their rent. So should we help? And if so, how do we do it without softening sanctions designed to end a bad war?

VOTE and discuss--and add your own suggestions. The ones that are most upvoted will go into the voting matrix.

Read also:

"Russians are Putin’s victims too" by Marie Oleynik @marieeldrid
for Al Jazeera @AJEnglish

"The internet was all of a sudden filled with hate, harassment and abuse directed at all Russians – including millions of us who never wanted this war, who never supported this war, who had no chance or opportunity to stop this war."
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/2/25/russians-are-also-victims-of-putin

"Russia, Blocked From the Global Internet, Plunges Into Digital Isolation" by Adam Satariano @satariano and Valerie Hopkins @VALERIEinNYT for the New York Times

"Alexei Pivovarov, who quit his job on state television almost a decade ago in the face of growing censorship, said he experienced a “second birth” when he started producing news shows and distributing them on YouTube. Almost 3 million people subscribe to his YouTube channel, where he and a team publish investigations and news reports that are unavailable on state media.

“I was completely sure that this part of my life was over forever, and I would never work as a journalist again,” he said in a recent interview. “I never thought before I came to YouTube that it was possible.”...Now the work risks putting Pivovarov in jail — or out of business. YouTube, which is owned by Google, last week blocked all Russian accounts from making money from their videos."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-blocked-global-internet-plunges-194040664.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

"The Russia-Ukraine conflict has thrust crypto into the spotlight and raised 3 big questions" by Arjun Kharpal @ARJUNKHARPAL for CNBC

"The biggest misconception about crypto remains that it is untraceable and is primarily used for nefarious purposes, which couldn't be further from the truth," Vijay Ayyar @vijayayyar, vice president of corporate development and international at crypto exchange Luno, told CNBC.

Meanwhile, there isn't enough liquidity for Russian oligarchs and companies to move their money around. "Liquidity in crypto is still a fraction of the global currency market, and hence moving large amounts of money using crypto is difficult," Ayyar said.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/04/russia-ukraine-war-cryptocurrencies-and-sanctions-in-the-spotlight-.html
34 total voters
How the public voted
Verdict
14 votes
"WE SHOULD SUPPORT DIGITAL CURRENCIES LIKE BITCOIN! If citizens can save and spend money in digital form, they aren't vulnerable to government interference. At the same time, large accounts can be blocked."
13 votes
"NO, WE SHOULD NOT HELP! Ordinary Russians have access to the truth via Instagram, WhatsApp, part of Twitter and VPNs. They have ignored Putin’s suppression of any dissent or opposition and continued to support him in exchange for relative prosperity"
07 votes
"YES, WE SHOULD HELP! Well over $2 million has gone straight to ordinary Ukrainians via AirBnB “bookings.” But AirBnB CEO Brian Chesky has suspended operations in both Russia and its ally, Belarus. He should he reverse that decision so that ordinary Russians can receive money directly. YouTube should also permit select Russians to continue monetizing and broadcasting accurate news."
See who voted: 3 jury categories.View more

What happens next

Disputing parties will be invited to resolve the matter based on this public verdict. If the parties have agreed beforehand to use the results to arbitrate the case the verdict will be binding. If not, the results are nonbinding but can be used as input to guide further negotiation. Depending on the case, results may be distributed to other interested parties such as regulators and media.