I went to this follow's Wiki bio, and it lines up with what you have been saying.

I am wondering that the nature of communism is to neuter the masses to the point that they will comply with things they don't agree with. Shipping fuel to Ukraine requires a lot "let's-not-stick-our-heads-up-too-much" from refinery workers, truckers, port workers, custom agents, bookkeepers, and a few other occupations who would understand what was happening. In this sense, Mr. Petkov was a genius to get this happening.

Political scientists often talk about political capital. This allows political parties to withstand a drop in popular support to get some good things done that the public does not like. Mr. Petkov et al went way beyond the Canadian Conservatives did in 1990.