An insulting nickname that was once used to describe the lackluster final years of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev is now being increasingly associated with Putin. Despite government promises over the years, Russia has not yet developed a modern pension savings system, improved regulations to create a competitive financial market like Dubai, or invested in its deteriorating infrastructure. With the burden of hefty public sector pay increases before the recent presidential election, the Russian government's latest budget plans to spend $620 billion by 2020 on upgrading the military, while cutting funds for infrastructure and education. These priorities have disappointed business leaders who are eager for improvements to the aging road network. Despite Putin's repeated promises to reduce the economy's reliance on oil and gas exports, the Kremlin now needs the oil price to exceed $110 to balance its budget, which is more than double the price required five years ago. In the realm of foreign policy, Medvedev's plan to improve relations with the United States has not progressed as anticipated. Moscow has instead focused on issues like Syria and establishing a free trade area with Belarus and Kazakhstan. Alexei Pushkov, head of the Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, expresses Russia's desire to be an independent force in its region and emphasizes that Russia wants to maintain its own identity rather than emulate the West. A notable difference between Russia and the West is evident in the treatment of the punk feminist group Pussy Riot, who were sentenced to jail for a protest in a Moscow cathedral. Putin stated that the women received a punishment they deserved for their performance, which he deemed as vulgar and a threat to Russia's moral values. Western governments and human rights groups were shocked by the excessive punishment given to Pussy Riot. However, many believe that the harsh treatment of the group may indicate a deeper issue of Kremlin insecurity in the face of growing dissatisfaction among the urban, educated population with Putin's leadership, despite the decrease in street protests seen in Moscow last winter. Yekaterina Samutsevich, a former member of Pussy Riot, expressed her belief in a small McDonald's restaurant in Krasnogorsk, a dormitory town north of Moscow, that Russia's future under Putin is uncertain and could potentially lead to a collapse similar to the Soviet Union. It is yet to be seen whether Putin's vision of a strong, stable, great power or the apocalyptic prediction of a young punk rocker will come true. In the meantime, both Russia's people and its business elite are showing their support through their actions. Putin is not gaining popularity.