Astroturf.
You should have been in Germany during the Reagan years when Putin and Russia were at the top of their game with mass demonstrations.
My wife and I were legal residents of Germany for decades. I recognize those streets in Berlin, and that crowd is not “astroturf.” Quite a number of our ex-neighbors express similar views when we Skype with them. With the AfD rising in polling to about one in five voters, the Red-Green coalition has much about which to be concerned politically.
paid Russian protesters
another subtle sign that Russia is losing