How I Saw Democracy Die in Russia - and Why I'm Worried for the US Now

I vividly remember the sense of possibility in Russia around the year 2000. For someone like the 15-year-old me, who had just become politically aware, it felt like we were leaving behind the chaotic 1990s and stepping toward something more stable and prosperous. That hope faded fast. By the time I left for the United States in 2011 to work as a mathematics researcher, my home country had morphed into a centralized, top-down regime where real dissent was nearly impossible.

I never imagined I'd feel the same uncertainty in America. Yet, last month, I recognized steps reminiscent of what I witnessed in Russia. I'm not saying these two systems are identical, but the playbook can look disturbingly similar: from consolidating power in the executive branch to undercutting institutional autonomy and controlling the media narrative. Below are a few concrete examples from early Putin-era Russia that shaped my political awakening—and why I'm feeling those same unsettling vibes here.

Putin weakened regional autonomy by appointing presidential envoys, removing elected governors, and consolidating control. What seemed like bureaucratic reorganization led to total executive dominance.
The judicial system was reshaped to favor the executive. Courts filled with loyalists, independent judges were dismissed, and legal challenges to the presidency became futile.
The national budget became a tool of enforcement. Regions and industries that showed loyalty received funding; those that resisted were financially strangled. Attempts to override standard budget processes in the US resemble these tactics.
Oversight agencies were dismantled. Prosecutors, auditors, and inspectors who investigated corruption were removed or forced to resign, eroding institutional accountability.
Independent television was taken over, dissenting voices pushed out, and media consolidated into government-friendly outlets. Alternative perspectives all but vanished.
National security was used as a pretext for extreme laws. Criticizing government action equated to supporting terrorism, stifling debate, and creating an environment of fear.

I moved to the United States in 2011, hoping to leave behind that sense of creeping control. I never expected to recognize so many of the same tactics: painting career civil servants as part of a "deep state," isolating judges who rule "the wrong way," firing inspectors who dare to question executive decisions, or using the budget to reward loyalists while punishing dissenters. In Russia in the early 2000s, we also thought these changes would be blocked by existing laws, democratic norms, and the next elections—until it was too late. "Let's wait and see" was our national mantra, and it got us nowhere.

The U.S. is obviously different from Russia in countless ways. But no democracy, however well established, is immune to an erosion of checks and balances. That's the scariest part: the process can be so incremental that by the time people realize what's happening, the foundations have already shifted.

I'm sharing these specifics not to say all hope is lost, but to emphasize how important it is to notice the little moves before they accumulate. If I had a chance to talk to my younger self in Russia, I'd say: "Don't shrug off small changes—push back while you can." And if I have one piece of advice for fellow Americans, it's the same: pay close attention, stay engaged, and don't assume it can't happen here.