Although this is not totally surprising because like we talked about earlier, they are showing a bravery and always have the possibility or liking to tease every country in the world. War is not simple but in fact when we hear the word war, fear is already the first thing that we can think of. I wouldn't wonder anymore on why many people in a country is like you said too chicken to oppose it.
The bravery of the Russians in the current war against Ukraine has very specific reasons. Their assault groups are sent to attack the Ukrainian Armed Forces positions often without artillery or air cover, and special blocking detachments are stationed behind them, often from Chechnya, whose task is to destroy anyone who retreats or for some reason returns from the line of attack, for example, due to injury. Therefore, the attacking Russians simply have no other choice but to go forward. Often, the wounded are not evacuated from the battlefield and they lie there until they die or until they themselves get out of the front line. In this regard, Ukrainian drones sometimes film how wounded Russians are finished off by their fellow soldiers or they shoot themselves to avoid suffering.
Russian commanders have been given an unofficial order to shoot everyone who refuses to go on the attack, so the soldiers there are a kind of slaves whose lives are worth nothing, because there are still enough mobilization resources in Russia.
Russians go to the front mainly on a contract basis because of the large sums of money that are paid to the recruit. The one-time assistance upon signing a contract reaches 30 thousand dollars. This is a large sum for them, which they do not earn in their entire lives. Therefore, as a rule, residents of national minorities - Buryatia, Dagestan and others - fight on the Ukrainian front, and they suffer the greatest losses. By eliminating the number of national minorities, the Kremlin thus solves the problem of possible riots due to this war and the deterioration of living conditions.
Recently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were surprised by a senseless attack by Russians without preliminary preparation and support, only with small arms and at full height, who were shot as if in a shooting gallery. According to the collected documents of the killed, it was established that these were those who had recently been exchanged as prisoners for captured Ukrainians. This is how surrender is punished in Russia. From the outside, this can really look like bravery...