Of all the shortages in the Soviet Union, the one thing they never ran out of was booze, Vodka in particular. If you can keep 'em drunk and stoned you can do just about anything to the masses you want. Probably why our politicians are so eager to make pot legal.
My next door neighbor escaped the Soviet Union before the wall fell, boy does he have some stories. He thinks Russia is headed back in that direction too, given it's current leadership. He has some good railroad stories too.