your bread into this canned -- like this. >> this was normal for you growing up? >> yeah. i wouldn't drink booze until probably 22. but i'll show you how it worked. >> so who decided who moved into these places? >> those who were in charge of the specific communal services and residential department would assign x amount to this plan, to that plan. >> you got to choose your neighbors though? no. >> in the soviet union and the present-day russia there's never been a reason to create infrastructure to make people's lives better. no one really cared about the people and they should have decent toilet or shower. >> so how's it going lately? better? worse? >> so vladimir putin changed the whole landscaping in the country. first of all, he started to clamp down on the human rights, on the democratic rights.