A sense of helplessness in the face of the regime’s actions is gradually pushing concerned citizens into the underground. Many of them increasingly feel the ineffectiveness of peaceful protests. They refuse to accept the role of mere spectators; they do not want to flee, they want to contribute, and they want to resist. Consequently, they join the resistance movement and become partisans.

Partisan actions—ranging from open armed resistance to anonymous sabotage and hacker attacks—target military facilities, the security apparatus, and logistics. Modern-day cyber-partisans also attack propaganda centers or develop and program drones.