Протестую! While I agree with your broad thrust about the reactionary regime failing to bring about any meaningful improvements, I cannot agree with either of these two points. Whilst the liver in aspic that was once presented to me in Obninsk would have been a lowpoint at any time, not only on that particularly hungover morning, I have eaten tremendously well in Russia: borsch might be a cliche, but a well-cooked bowlful is a genuine treat. The salmon-stuffed pelmeni I had in Perm were likewise a revelation. Smoked Adygea cheese could hold its own against any Roquefort. I had never eaten a fresh fig until I went to Russia, nor had I experienced tomatoes, melons or strawberries which burst with such flavour. Granted, it's becoming more difficult to find decent ingredients as the sanctions bite, but still that's a misinformed remark.
I also protest at the idea that the inhabitants of Russia are unfriendly. Yes, their public persona is dour, and so would yours be if you and your family had lived through decades of surveillance and ideological judgement, with horrible consequences if you were weighed and found wanting - and, let's face it, as soon as you were weighed, you would be found wanting. But if you can manage to get past the acquaintance stage and into friendship, then you'll tend to find people who cannot do enough for you. I have spent enough time in and around Russia to understand that the English concept of friendship woefully fails to convey the strength of the Russian relationship.
Obviously, some of them are horrible arseholes - Alexei, my last landlord in St Petersburg, is living proof - and many of these latter gravitate towards policing or political roles, but it is just plain wrong to generalise that Russians are not friendly. Don't mistake the government for its people...