Members of the Guard of Honor of the Presidential Regiment from Russia perform during the “Spasskaya Tower” international military music festival at Moscow's Red Square, Russia, September 10, 2015. The festival runs until 13 Sepember. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

In modern Russia there are no free elections, therefore the political elite is almost constant.

Photo: Valentina Matvienko, Mayor of St. Petersburg, attends the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 17, 2011 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Global business leaders have gathered in Russia for the three-day conference. (Photo by Alexander Aleshkin/Epsilon/Getty Images)

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony before the Russia 2018 World Cup Group A football match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14, 2018. (Photo by Sergei Bobylev/TASS via Getty Images)

Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov of Russia perform in the Pairs Short Program during day one of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Rostelecom Cup at Megasport Arena on November 20, 2020 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

Sukhoi Su-30SM jet fighters of the Sokoly Rossii (Falcons of Russia) aerobatic team fly in formation during the International Army Games 2016, in Dubrovichi outside Ryazan, Russia, August 5, 2016. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Take me away, deer, Russia. The Nenet people of Arctic Russia use reindeer and sledges as a prime mode of transport. The animals’ navigational ability means that in severe conditions they are sometimes the only hope of survival. (Photo by Kamil Nureev/Smithsonian Photo Contest)

A picture rotated 180 degrees shows visitors walking inside an “Upside-down House” attraction at the VVTs the All-Russia Exhibition Center in Moscow, on January 14, 2014. The attraction to experience a new perspective of a house standing upside down was opened first time in Russia, the show organisers said. (Photo by Alexander Nemenov/AFP Photo)

A young girl taking part in a hairdressing contest during the 5th Abilympics Russia vocational skills championship for people with disabilities, at Moscow's VDNKh exhibition centre in Moscow, Russia on November 21, 2019. The competition is aimed at ensuring social adaptation and job opportunities for people with disabilities. (Photo by Valery Sharifulin/TASS)