That picture is the USSR equivalent of the pictures of clean streets without homeless encampments made in San Francisco when Gavin Newsom cleaned up the place before the leader of the Chinese Communist Party visited the city [1]. Come to think of it that's quite the telling statement.

[1] https://www.scnr.com/article/thats-true-because-its-true-new...

I think you are thinking g of Boris Yeltsin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_visit_by_Boris_Yeltsin_to...

This topic is very interesting. People from former Soviet states learned what and when to say. Sometimes in brutal inhumane way. Saying that dad brought some sausage or construction material from work was a thing kids learned not to say in public very early. There were many things no to say. Like Xmas or Easter celebrations were topic for family members only. Burial with a priest was tabu. Grandfather fighting Soviet occupation was a big secret kids never knew about. Knowing that having and reading some books were a way to have big troubles. You needed to get mature quickly to live normal life under Soviet occupation. It was really shocking when I arrived in West Germany that guys in their 30s were behaving like Soviet teens.

My Ukrainian (US-raised) coworker was shocked to discover his mother spoke Ukrainian.

He was too young when they were in Soviet-controlled Ukraine to trust with the mother tongue of his people. The State might discover they were secretly preserving the language.

Fun times.

I mean, opinions are split. I met some older Estonians who couldn't stop blabbering in broken Russian how they liked it in the USSR (was a freaking awkward bus ride listening about NATO provoking Putin). I'm sure there were political prisoners whose life was absolutely miserable.

But life isn't a Hollywood movie where everyone was in Gulag. I can only speak for Estonia. And people built their lives and careers, went to sport competitions, completed their PhDs, etc.