a force of darkness for their own people
——
Spoken from one who has never been in Russia- I have- Putin enjoys a 90 percent backing from him- who puts Russian citizens first.
I know many Russians. They are not fans, to put it mildly. They look at him, and still see the KGB. In view of the whole world, he has had political critics poisoned to death. Why would a universally popular man need to do that? And how would a 90-percent popularity in Russia be measured without fear of repercussions?
And how about the subject states within Russia's boundaries today, whom Russia absorbed under the Czars and the Soviet Union? Are we counting them among his Russian fans, or only ethnic Russians?
The Chinese Communists win all their elections as well. But their history and conduct do not reassure.