But they don't. Russians actually rallied behind Putin.
One of the reasons why they fight is because they know the glory and reward for fighting eventually goes into their country's pocket. This is not the same with the average American Joe, who views that most of their country's good and greatness are being sent to countries abroad while they suffer.
No, they fight for money, their personal salary, not for the glory of their country. Russia recruits from the very poor regions where many people have no job or a very low income. For those people, the money earned in the military are significant and there is pressure from their families to get the military job. Poverty is the main factor.
If you look at the MAGA movements and their talking points, it's mainly about how great America and Americans will be if all their money is being kept inside the country. Real or perceived.
The MAGA movement is just the most basic form of manipulation applied on the uneducated. It works in every country, not only in the US. You tell the uneducated: “Hey, all these money spent on others, we could give it to you” and they will vote you and love you. This is how populism works.
The Americans has always had a very high standard of living (compared to the rest of the world) but only now we're seeing this kind of lamenting
They stopped the war in Vietnam for the same rasons. “It’s not our war, not our business to defend other countries” has been around since Vietnam.
I don't understand this propaganda of Russia being ultra-poor, yes they're not the richest and have always been known as the poor man's empire, but ultra-poor? Russia's GDP per capita is $14,391, that higher than Malaysia ($13,315), Turkiye ($12,765), Argentina ($12,812), and the Dominican Republic where you reside ($11,774)
It’s not about the country’s average, it is about Russia having very large parts of the country in extreme poverty. The army recruits mostly from the ultra-poor regions. In the wealthy parts of Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg) you don’t see people so eager to join the army. Moscovites are more like Westerners, they just want to enjoy their good life.
There are SOOOO many reasons why the West is having (and will continue having) problems with military recruitment. This is just one of the many reasons.
And most of it doesn't have any quick fix
This is not the only reason, but it is the main one. People who can earn a decent living without risking their lives and with little effort are not incentivized to join the military. It’s that simple.
You need areas with extreme poverty in order to have a large pool of selection for the military. That’s why people are so brave in Yemen or Afghanistan, because they are ultra poor, while the Saudis are “cowards” as you call them, because they are very wealthy.
In the end, it all boils down to money. People with money don’t want to die needlessly for someone else’s war. Poor people on the other hand, they would risk their lives for money.