Fast forward to 2020s - the gangs are now reorganized under the Siloviki, the "strong man". Methods have changed from being shot in the street to being defenestrated. Meanwhile the state uses beatings and barrier troops to enforce military discipline at war. It also castrates and starves POWs and performs organized, list-based murder on the territories that it occupies.

I could go on and on, but yeah. Russia fundamentally hasn't changed in the past ~few hundred years (since its founding really), unlike countries in Europe. As the world moved forward some things remained unchanged, such as preemptive compliance, learned helplessness, lack of civil society, and the culture of violence, ranks, racism and humiliation.

> preemptive compliance, learned helplessness, lack of civil society, and the culture of violence, ranks, racism and humiliation

First I seriously doubt that other countries moved away from that. Second I don't notice these things as much here (in the capital at least). People see only what they want to see I guess...

Have you visited Moscow in the last 10 years? It is a far better place to live than shitholes like SF or NYC.