I honestly don't believe that I did. I was very careful to note that Americans had the capacity to do the same thing and had the same skills. Whether we still do is an arguable point, and one that I'd love to debate.
When you have nothing, being a good practical engineer is a survival skill, which I happen to believe that many Russians are. Say what you will, our society is rich and even the poorest among us live in conditions that many in the rest of the world would kill to have. (And that's a good thing, in my opinion). When was the last time that you saved tin foil? Or string? Or newspapers? When was the last time you had to?