For months leading up to that moment, tens of thousands of Russians protested as Mr. Putin prepared to return to the Kremlin following four years in a shadow role as prime minister.
The day before Mr. Putin was inaugurated in May, the police violently cracked down on a mass protest.
When Mr. Putin drove through a Moscow cleared of any signs of life, and through the Kremlin gates, the protest movement was effectively dead.
As this fact settled in, opposition-minded Russians flooded social media, recalling just how young they were when Mr. Putin first headed the state more than 12 years prior — some remembered their college days, others elementary school.
The United States is not Russia, and Mr. Trump is not Mr. Putin.
Persons:
Donald Trump’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Trump
Organizations:
Mr
Locations:
Moscow, United States, Russia