Russia is like a rural town with a gang occupying the city hall. The gang can't allow a neighboring town with democratically elected administration to look more

Russia is like a rural town with a gang occupying the city hall. The gang can't allow a neighboring town with democratically elected administration to look more successful, because the citizens might unite and revolt. So the gang does only 3 things: it tells citizens that their neighbors have it much worse with their 'democracy', it tells citizens that their town is encircled by enemies, and it swiftly punishes anyone who publicly questions the gang because those questions might dispell the lies and unite the citizens.