In the Russian experience, although the Russian state is oppressive, it is their state, it is part of their fabric, and so the relation between Russian citizens and their state is complicated.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The Russian people get so insanely close to each other as friends. Their lives are interrelated so much on an everyday basis.
Russia is a state within a state. To understand the population of Russia, you need to know the areas of the country; you need an understanding of the people and their interests.
Russian democracy is the power of the Russian people with their own traditions of national self-government, and not the realisation of standards foisted on us from outside.
I feel very uneasy with a lot of aspects of the Russian life and the Russian people.
The way I understand it, the Russians are sort of a combination of evil and incompetence... sort of like the Post Office with tanks.
Russia is tough. The history, the land, the people - brutal.
Russia is very big and very varied. People are different in different regions.
Russia itself is an extremely complex country, and sometimes I feel like all of that comes back to haunt me. I can see why so many Russian writers were so tortured.
I don't have any opinions about Russians. There are celebrity persons in each country. Different people do different things.
The great drama of Russian history has been between its state and society. Put simply, Russia has always had too much state and not enough society.