Great piece Elena "Sunshine" - It could be said the collapse of the Soviet system lead to the reduction in living standards - given that was the losing side - but of course we know about the German and Japanese miracles post defeat. The difference is the system itself and how it has affected Russian philosophy - and now the country is stuck with Putin because of it. The Crimean Peninsula is a case in point - whether right, wrong or otherwise it was illegally taken and with the support of most Russians [including Putin opponents]. The system is lllastic and dominated by one set of opinions [i.e. The Crimea is Russian] - yet the greatest thinkers are marginalized.