Ruling Russia’s vast territory has always been a difficult task. Stretching across 11 time zones, it is by far the biggest country in the world, touching both the Polish and North Korean borders.

With the economic crisis has come discontent in places on Russia’s periphery. Overwhelmingly, opposition to the government is following a regional logic rather than class or ideological affiliation. The formula is simple: the farther away from Moscow, the more discontented people are.