Russia has always attempted to control their people. Even before the Bolshevik Revolution, when the Czar still ruled, it was all about control and stealing from the people. The failure when the U.S.S.R. crashed in 1991 is what comes about when a government attempts to apply too much control over the people.
In America, the government has been operating things from the other end. Russia was always from the control freak end, having to go towards the freedom end to keep from being destroyed. The U.S. started way freer than Russia has been, like forever, and so they are testing the waters, to see how far they can go with taking freedom away from Americans.
Both, the United States and Russia are experimenting with constantly changing methods to screw their people. But both governments know that if they don't provide some freedom, they will be screwing themselves, royally. If We The People use Bitcoin the right way, we just might be able to change both governments into a whole lot more freedom, and free the whole world at the same time.
Let's put on our thinking caps and figure out ways to incorporate the freedom of the Bitcoin idea into everything -
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2014/01/ethereum/