Of course they will be affected and already do be. I don‘t get the point? No, he is not. A lot of people got arrested and/or killed because they protested (way before the „special operation“) and a lot of people fled the country. Unfortunately the core state of the USSR never managed to establish a functionsl democracy. But clannishness is bullshit. Putin made himself over decades a de facto dictator - tsar? Well, dramatic punctuation does in fact emphasize core ideas: To be Russian =/= To be evil or supporting putin.

Do not confuse Russia with Putin and his regime. This. Is. Important.

I too am over 30.