Because he lives in America, and drinks at the same bar as me, and we have mostly amicable arguments. He tells me what he sees on Russian telegram. I believe he sincerely believes this propaganda. And I think he doesn't feel comfortable telling most other people here his opinions (although as I often point out, he will not be arrested or punished here for having a dissenting view, as he would be in his home country). I'm not someone who's into "canceling" people, so I listen and respond to his topics. I hear him out and give him my views and we argue. A lot of it comes back to his view that the West is not as good as Russia, even though when we talk about the details (like not getting arrested for free speech) he admits that it's better in some ways, but says that without strong central leadership the West is morally falling apart, (even though he chooses to live here)... I think he partly wants to convince an American, but partly he just wants to understand our point of view.

[edit] based on your other posts down the chain, I think you're implying he's what we'd call a "chickenhawk". I won't confirm or deny that I think the same thing. To me it would be unhelpful to attack his personal lack of bodily commitment when I'm trying to argue historical reality and I'm one of the few Americans in his orbit who probably can. He can, of course, go to anyone else and be told to put his ass on the line if he believes X, Y and Z, so it wouldn't help the conversation.

300k mobilized in a population of 143 million, so about 2 per thousand.

He might simply live in region that mobilized less. Of live abroad. Most of mobilization happen in poor peripheral regions. Moscow and surrounding mobilizes much less.