Russia is doing better than the Russians, who always have the comparison with the past. The brightness and certain prosperity of urban Russia is in stark contrast to the drab Soviet realities that many still remember.. Russians today live with less fear than under Stalin, face less stagnation than under Brezhnev, and plan their lives with less uncertainty than under Gorbachev.. Returning to the USSR is not on the table. But in less than a year the Vladimir Putin regime has canceled