The general uprising in Russia

Telegraph:

Sunday’s demonstrations in Russia were the largest outpouring of anti-Kremlin sentiment since the spate of protests that gripped Moscow in the winter of 2011 to 2012.

It’s too early to tell if we will see a re-run of that ultimately unsuccessful uprising. But in several ways, Sunday’s demonstrations could prove even more threatening to Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.

First is the geography.

Five years ago, the authorities were able – with some justification - to characterise the demonstrators who filled the capital’s boulevards and squares as members of a coddled metropolitan elite, divorced from the lives and opinions of the vast majority of Russians living beyond the Moscow ring road.

After Sunday, however, that idea is dead.
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The uprising has spread to other regions.  While there has been a focus on the corruption of the elites in Russia, I suspect that the sanctions imposed as a result of Russian attempts to reconquer Ukraine and other areas have left ordinary citizens to feel the pinch.

While the elites accumulate wealth and buy huge yachts the ordinary Russians are struggling.  While the government spends on new weapons systems to deal with phantom threats, the ordinary citizens are the ones making the sacrifice.