Statistically I know that poverty and crime increased massively during and immediately following the breakup of the Soviet Union, but what did the average person go through as it happened? Was it an extremely different event from the perspective of a factory worker living in a major city than it was for a farmer out in the country? What about for emergency personnel (police, ambulance drivers, etc.) and members of the military? Would someone living in a tiny village in central Siberia even have noticed necessarily?
This is an interesting subject for me, because part of being American I think means taking for granted the idea that the government is always going to be there in one form or another. It's a little terrifying the idea of waking up and finding out that it just isn't there anymore, and everyone is on their own for however long it takes one group or another to seize power.
Well, I lived thru it and could attest that it was difficult and confusing time for me, my family and most of my friends. I'd say no more, as personal anecdotes are not admissible in this subreddit.
Was it an extremely different event from the perspective of a factory worker living in a major city than it was for a farmer out in the country?
Yes, it was. It's very hard to average individual experiences of that time, they ran full gamut from total disaster to complete success. But I'd say it's closer on average to being worse off.
Up until ~2000 average level of life in post-USSR Russia was lower than in the USSR of late 80s. It is really hard to take into account monetarily such USSR perks as free healthcare, state-run childcare (almost free, very affordable), free college and university education etc., so there's no consensus among historians (and citizens themselves), it's hotly debated still.
Long delays of salaries and pensions were widespread.
What about for emergency personnel (police, ambulance drivers, etc.) and members of the military?
What about them specifically? I'd give you some information, but your question is too vague. There was a lot going on.
Cuts in military spending were severe and all kind of abuses happened - soldiers have to beg for food, officers cannot get promised benefits after retirement (like state-sponsored housing). Most of Afghan war veterans were quickly discharged in early 90s, so by the time of troubles in Chechnya it was hard to find officers with battle experience. Many officers (both with war experience and without) left military and turned into private bodyguards or joined criminal gangs. For example, both Chechen leaders were former officers: Dzhokhar Dudaev was Major General of VVS (AirForce), with several battle sorties over Panjsher Valley in Afghanistan and Aslan Maskhadov had retired as Colonel of Artillery.
Police (called then милиция - militia, recently re-branded into полиция - police) quickly deteriorated. Law enforcement became weak and criminal gangs were effectively a local power. Vakha Arsanov is an example of a police officer who became a leader of separatist.
In general, all state infrastructure deteriorated to the breaking point. Health care, law enforcement, child care, housing maintenance and state-run pension fund.
Would someone living in a tiny village in central Siberia even have noticed necessarily?
Everybody noticed that. It's hard not to notice hyperinflation and inability to sell enough produce to buy goods.
Sources
Russian - snapshot of Komsomol'skaya Pravda newspaper - new prices for essential goods and staple food in 1991. Example of hyperinflation in 1991 - prices in 1st column are 'old USSR', 2nd column - to be enacted in 1991 after 'reform'. Food is per kilogram and 2-50 means 2 roubles 50 kopeks. Official exchange rate in 1991 was 2 roubles for $1 USD. Market exchange rate was $1 USD ~ 33 roubles (beginning of 1991) - 160 roubles (end of 1991). In USSR, median personal income was ~200 roubles and for many it froze at that level or grew much slower than inflation, while for some income shot up into millions and - to select few - into billions.
Russian - A.I. Orlov Econometrics Text book on econometrics, chapter about inflation. Mostly interesting that it cites numbers for 1990-95 period.
Независимая Газета - Independent Newspaper - . Article about military base, abandoned in 1991 and how it was reduced to rubble
Table with average income in given year. In roubles (1st column), kilos of potato (staple food, 2nd column) , USD per market exchange rate (3rd column)
The government didn't go away. Even if there was chaos at the top the rest of the bureaucracy kept doing their job. Things degraded gradually. The worst was inflation. Witnessing crime in public was shocking after the brutal order of communism.
Experiences vary greatly from the Baltic states who shot straight towards EU integration, to the Central Asian republics who ended in dictatorship and to war torn Caucasus.
On the bright side, people were glued to their TVs watching political debates and had courage to express their opinions. Access to western consumer goods was improved even if they were very expensive. There was a great cultural opening
