Changes to Soviet countries have been remarkably peaceful if you think of all the purges and "big" killings. It doesn't mean that a change away from Putin today, however peaceful looking, wouldn't still be quite violent. The change in China has been somewhat gradual, but the general improvement in living standards UPWARD has made that doable. In Iran and Afghanistan the repressive regimes (whatever their religion or other beliefs & policies) is tearing people limb from limb and destroying what good lives they had -- sending the countries DOWNWARD into chaos.