My impression (which is almost 100% from reading Ian Frasier's Travels in Siberia) is that nothing has a simple answer in Russia, and the question was probably

My impression (which is almost 100% from reading Ian Frasier's Travels in Siberia) is that nothing has a simple answer in Russia, and the question was probably ill-posed, but I appreciate everyone's reply. Even if the reports are contradictory, they help paint a picture.