As one ex-Soviet to another, I think you are being too optimistic. The situation in smaller cities seems to be quite dire to me. Most of the people I know eithe

As one ex-Soviet to another, I think you are being too optimistic. The situation in smaller cities seems to be quite dire to me. Most of the people I know either don't know of the situations like this, or don't care. They still have some freedom of information, some level of access to "alternative" worldviews, but they prefer not to exercise it and to get their daily dose of brainwashing from RT and Russia 24. For example, to most of my acquaintances Navalny is known as "the guy who stole the timber". Honestly, I am not at all sure if Russia is still salvageable. I've been reading some of the classic literature from 18-19 centuries, and it reads like it was written yesterday. I am thinking of just leaving as far away as I can from all this fucking bullshit, before the iron curtain comes crashing down.