I imagine that people like this have always felt this way to some degree. Maybe because it was a different time back then, or maybe because they were younger (and thus more concerned with peer pressure), they were silent. Now they feel emboldened; for whatever reason. It’s like Pandora’s box: it’s been opened, and even if you close it, it’s too late. It’s out there now.
im not that sure. of course they were probably never friendly with democrats but russia was not far removed from literal communism for most of these guys’ lives.