The majority of Russian politicians and newsmakers today are those who spent either a significant part of their life, or a least their adolescent years, under communism. They are unclear contrast to the new generation that has little few memories from the Soviet past. But the ideological background of modern politics is in some way connected to Soviet times.
Opponents of President Vladimir Putin's government lash out at him for what they call attempts to restore Soviet-style control. Many of his backers reproach him mildly for insufficiently active restoration of Soviet order. In both cases, criticisms are based on personal perceptions and assessments.
But the new generation of voters has nothing concrete to remember. The most curious can research the times, but the overwhelming majority is not interested in the subject at all. For them, it is a notion from another dimension that has no connection with reality.
The new generation's vote will be one by someone who addresses present issues, not past ones. It is hard to tell yet whether this future candidate will be a radical nationalist or a pro-Western liberal or whether the heralds of the new generation will be loyal supporters of the Kremlin or its implacable enemies.
It seems evident that the push towards the young will be radical. Not only because the young are prone to extremes, but also because the stagnated political and ideological order will be increasingly facing a conflict with the needs and desires of the new generation. And they will be trying to change it increasingly actively.
