>I think the same every time I read this, but at one point it has to give, right?
replyIf you repeat this same news every time, then you'll eventually be right, yes.
Anecdotally, the people I know who recently visited Moscow and St Petersburg claim they're not seeing significant struggle, and definitely not the 'risk your life for violent revolution' type of issues.
replyBecause they are rich people who are in the rich parts of the richest cities. I’m sure if you walked the streets of Moscow in 1988 you wouldn’t see any significant struggle among the elite.
replyMoscow and St Petersburg will be the absolute last places where you will see people struggle precisely because Putin knows it's important to keep those cities prosperous even if it's at the cost of people living outside of the major cities.
replySure, but that's already 20% of population counting metro area. Add other well off areas, university towns, upper class in small towns, etc. and it doesn't seem to be looking super bad in the short term for them.
replyThe enlistment bonuses tell that story: from St Petersburg, you get 10x the bonus compared to Dagestan.
replyI don't think so. An oligarchy can hold on for generations, look at North Korea.
replyThe Soviet Union, which was much worse, went on for a very long time. But it fell under similar circumstances, essentially bankrupted by a war in Afghanistan.
replyIt's not so much when the population feels it, rather the elites who prop Putin up.