Westerners by and large do not understand the ability of russians to withstand pain.
When your government kills you and your families and fellow citizens by the tens of millions because they think you are showing an attitude, then you are not "withstanding", you are simply dying.
Pointing out that the population of Russia always has survivors, is not proof that they are tougher than people who won't tolerate being totally powerless and hopeless, it is just showing that they all don't die.