In 2002, Putin pressured NTV to end the production of Kukly, a political satire puppet show for adults. In 2003, NTV was forced to shut down. People laughed and said, "Well, it was deserved, for the good of the country, don't mock the man who will make Russia great again." Meanwhile, war raged in Chechnya, and the restrictions got worse. The prisons got worse. The censorship got worse. OMON was created along the way. Political opposition was outlawed. The courts fell under the power of the Kremlin. Then Greenland, sorry, Georgia was attacked, then Panama, sorry Crimea, and then Canada, sorry, I meant Ukraine. 23 years after puppets hurt dear leader's feelings, Russia is isolated, with an economy in ruins, and a population indoctrinated into a political cult of self declared greatness and endless metaphorical five year plans. More than half the population lives in a weird mix of 1975 meets 2019. Some live in 1920 meets 2019. Moscow and St. Petersburg are ivory towers, isolated from the reality of the real Russia. Almost 25% of all Russian GDP comes from those two metro areas. That's how consolidated wealth has become. This greatness was achieved despite having the largest land mass on the planet and an embarrassment of riches in natural resources. But hey, the Russian people voted for ending those dangerous, insulting puppets 23 years ago and convinced themselves this was just a passing phase. Now they're being taught Stalin, one of histories worst mass murders, is what their leadership should strive to be. Bah, I'm a loyal patriot! I want this. I'm sure you are. What happened to Russia's loyal patriots in the 2023 political purge? Where is Igor Girkin today? The state always needs enemies, and history shows repeatedly, it eventually eats itself.