The social safety net was precisely the thing which had collapsed! There were basically two options: scrabble around trying to find work in the newly evolving private sector to stay alive, or give in to despair. There was a huge drop in the life expectancy of Russian men after the end of the USSR, which took a while to climb back up again.
Pitchforking really requires a clearly identifiable villain. You can't fight a "system". In fact it usually requires the "system" to have turned on its leader. See the death of Ceaucescu for an example.
I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Amerimaidan in the coming years if the country doesn't reverse course, but it won't be over primarily economic issues. it will be against paramilitary policing. You can regard the Minnesota ICE protests as a precursor. Or, for that matter, Jan 6th.
Pitchforking really requires a clearly identifiable villain. You can't fight a "system". In fact it usually requires the "system" to have turned on its leader. See the death of Ceaucescu for an example.
I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Amerimaidan in the coming years if the country doesn't reverse course, but it won't be over primarily economic issues. it will be against paramilitary policing. You can regard the Minnesota ICE protests as a precursor. Or, for that matter, Jan 6th.