It's a society that had a severely oppressive regime for at least half a century (people were often sent to jail for virtually no reason). Severe weather in the north (and all of Siberia) made for harsh living. Glance at Google street view around a non-major city to see what it looks like. It's rough. I grew up there.
https://weirdrussia.com/2014/08/20/russias-disturbing-playgr...
It's a society that had a severely oppressive regime for at least half a century (people were often sent to jail for virtually no reason). Severe weather in the north (and all of Siberia) made for harsh living. Glance at Google street view around a non-major city to see what it looks like. It's rough. I grew up there.