I remember many years ago when the then Soviet Union sent the military in to arrest the mayor who was defiant. The people took to the streets as the tanks rolled in, and the military refused to run over and kill those people, in effect, stopping the coup underway. My views towards those in the Soviet Union changed that day as I witnessed (on TV) people willing to die for their principles by defending a man they believed in.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviet-hard-liners-launch-coup-against-gorbachev