Comment by brandnewideas

> imagining that it is all CIA/FSB and so on denies agency to thousands of people who have put in the effort to change thier country

You're looking at it from a very narrow minded point of view. Those agencies push their agenda in very meticulous ways through many channels. While it may seem that the people are merely exercising their agency and pushing for change, the _direction_ they're pushing towards is what's decided by the agencies, at the very least.