Things are not going so well for ordinary Russians under Putin

[iemitsu]

I have been an avid watcher of Youtube videos about metal detectors, and I happened upon a site in Russia where detectorists work abandoned fields and villages looking for old coins. Clearly, the inhabitants had buried their wealth to keep it from the Tsar, the French, the Soviet government, the Germans, etc.

What is interesting about the videos I watch is that the poster of the videos has started to complain about how the infrastructure is falling apart under Putin. They hate him. They had to rig up their own internet because the companies ignored their pleas to repair the broken system. They only have sporadic electricity. They spent the entire summer trying to rig up a heating system for their school. No garbage pick-up.

This is in the heartland of Russia. These villagers used to have these services. They are recycling old Soviet machinery. Tractors, old parts, scrap metal. They hate Putin with a passion.

They are NOT happy in Russia.

[Generic Other]

1. Sounds like what America will be like

after Putin and the GOP get done with us.

[Newest Reality]

7. Exactly!

I think that Russia is a good example of rule by a corrupt, authoritarian Oligarchy. They went from Communism into that. It is more mob-like than what we think of as representative government.

So, Trump identifies with Putin and his ultra-wealthy mob, of course.

On the other hand, here, we have a disturbing increase in inequity and it is starting to show. Trump is rather symbolic of what it looks like incarnate. It is Oligarchy vs. democracy now, and the former is really winning, especially since this subject is hardly brought up as critical or meaningful.

[iemitsu]

11. Yep, they are in a world of hurt.

I'm sure they thank Ronald Reagan for destroying the Evil Empire and replacing it with a Kleptocracy.
Our own rich are attempting to mimic the same results here. Privatizing public lands and schools is proceeding post-hast.

[Johnny2X2X]

2. Best friend has a Russian Foreign exchange student

They are incredibly poor in that country, all the wealth in concentrated into about 115 families, everyone else barely survuves.

My company has done business in Russia and hired Russian firms for engineering work. Russian engineers make $8-10 an hour.

[iemitsu]

4. Yep. Your account matches what I have been watching on Youtube.

All the residents work together to survive.

[fleur-de-lisa]

3. Not surprising since Putin and the other thugs stole everything of value and removed it from Russia.

[iemitsu]

5. Everything but the coins that citizens have hidden in the

foundations of their homes and in the fields.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. So much info about the Russian Economic

mess can be found via those U Tubes. Stumbled onto a Tube from someone who is a Shade Tree Mechanic. So agree,people are in a major world of hurt in Russia and they are screaming made at Putin.

[iemitsu]

8. Several of the Russian channels I watch

show how all the residents need to fish and farm to eat.
They are struggling to keep up as the modern world passes them by.

[Wellstone ruled]

16. When Ford Motor Bailed months ago.

That one region lost some 15k jobs that were the only ones in several cities in that region.

Wish people would just wake the F-up. Putin is old school KGB and his game it to reconstruct the old Soviet Union or something near to it. Appears he has a Stalin complex as Nance once said. And he could care less about his fellow Countrymen.

One of Putin's Goals is to control the Ukraine,and Historically this has been ans is the bread basket of Eourpe. And now it is the Transit Point for Oil and Gas for Eourpe.

American Agri-Business has spent billions in Ukraine improving not only equipment but,seed varieties in efforts to improve yields to feed the European Markets.

[Adsos Letter]

9. Do you follow that guy from W. Virginia/Maryland who looks for Civil War artifacts?

Interesting channel. I’m amazed at how much ordnance is still in the ground from that war.

[iemitsu]

10. Yeah, I watch them too.

[DetlefK]

12. The problem is that Putin only does publicity-stunts but doesn't actually help:

Step 1: He goes somewhere and makes a big show for the media of chastizing the local politicians for their failures.

Step 2: He takes over and launches a program to right the wrong.

Step 3: The media dutifully reports total success.

Step 4: The program starts.

Step 5: Putin and the media leave.

Step 6: The program is abandoned and things go back to their crappy normal.

[iemitsu]

15. Seems to be the pattern.

[Newest Reality]

13. Demographics...

I looked into the demographics of Russia and was surprised. It is a large country, but sparsely populated by comparison:

Population: 144,438,554 (excluding Crimea),[1][2] 146.8 million (including Crimea)[3]
Steady 146,793,744 as of January 1, 2019[4]

That's like less than half of the USA. There is desolate territory there, but still.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Russia

[world wide wally]

14. Trump's dream for America