I have relatives and acquaintances in Russia, or recently exiled from there, and I assure you they are all anti-Putin. Some would not admit it to strangers. One is a journalist who had to write, on the occasion of the Luhansk referendum, that the government has invited international observers (not supervisors, to be sure), and one team actually arrived – from the Republika Srpska, the Serbian-dominated part of Bosnia-Herzegovina! Anybody with brains can draw their conclusions.

Funds for Trump come from people with vested interests. Voters tend to follow the frustrated masses, but can change their minds surprisingly quickly. The difference between him and Putin is that the latter would definitely not be elected in fair elections – why else would he bite away all competitors and critics?!