Good perspective. There are two kinds of Russians. The not-so-sensible is giving the regime its legitimacy. And then there are the 40m or so non-Russians in Russia.

I got a little chuckle about westerners wondering why the Russians do not revolt against their government. I have been promoting an alternative democracy since 1997. Westerners cannot look at replacing their crumbling democracies. They are just as paralyzed as the Russians.