according to political scientist dmitry oreshkin, the personality cult surrounding putin distracts from the country's problems. >> the impression they give is that without this strong leader, we'd lose our way. that's the thinking. the goal of the kremlin's propaganda is to hold on to power, not to advance the country. there are many people in russia who fall for this cheap, populist rhetoric. we're seeing the same thing going on in the us. trump has managed to leverage the very same demographic. >> in russia, young nationalists like 23-year-old maria katasonova from the national liberation movement actually campaigned for trump. they're convinced that the combative populist, who others believe is undermining democracy, will bolster the relationship between the us and russia. she and many others hope that the rise of right-wing populists marks the dawn of a new era. to them, putin is the only one who can guarantee stability. the image of him as a father figure, a saviour of the world, sells well. and these days, trump paraphernalia is also flying off the shelves. >> vladimir putin, jose