Losing hundreds of thousands in war vs hundreds of thousands (or more) in labour camps.

Putting a bullet in your skull for accessing a blocked internet resource vs just blocking the resource or paying a fine.

Honestly I can name many things that can be different.

Well for starters he might try and conquer Greenland.

The nuclear war is the immoderate Russians.

Except for the fact that the US started this war with the 2014 coup and the progressive arming of Ukraine.

The main opposition party in Russia is the Communist party. Their leader was one of the first to call for a general mobilisation.