loutr

As others have said I believe the meme didn't originate in Russia, but was used disparagingly by its enemies. That said, a Russian author did write The Last Ringbearer, an alternative perspective on the events of LOTR:

Kirill Yeskov bases his novel on the premise that the Tolkien account is a "history written by the victors".[1][2] Mordor is home to an "amazing city of alchemists and poets, mechanics and astronomers, philosophers and physicians, the heart of the only civilization in Middle-earth to bet on rational knowledge and bravely pitch its barely adolescent technology against ancient magic", posing a threat to the war-mongering faction represented by Gandalf (whose attitude is described by Saruman as "crafting the Final Solution to the Mordorian problem") and the Elves.[1]

Sounds familiar?

Yeah, it also says that they have a low opinion of the local government, which they blame when the reforms promised in the state press fail to materialize.

Regardless of the country, I'm very suspicious about such unanimous acclaim. There's just no way 9 out of 10 people are happy with any given government. Have you ever been in a group of more than 10 people, trying to make a choice that's OK for everyone?

Look, I'm not saying that the west is perfect and China is horrible, but maybe try considering the opposite is not true either.

Yes, I am aware that .ml lives in a fantasy world where there are no dissidents in China. It also helps that speaking ill of the CCP has never been harshly repressed in China.

OK maybe not started (couldn't find a definitive origin), but they did use it quite a bit.

Additionally, the original image of Xi and Obama together as Pooh and Tigger, and the subsequent picture of Xi and Shinzo Abe as Pooh and Eeyore, emerged as group pictures of world leaders, but only the comparison of Xi to Pooh stuck.

Maybe because the others didn't throw a tantrum about it. Or maybe because Chinese users have to use euphemisms and memes to avoid censorship.

Further, that doesn't explain the immense popularity among westerners in portraying Xi as a yellow bear, nor why it seems to be especially popular among western right-wingers.

If you say so. I for one had not seen this meme for quite some time and had completely forgotten about it until you brought it up.

You'd have to ask the Chinese internet users who started the meme. Or there is a detailed wikipedia article if you're interested in the backstory.

Ouais enfin là c'est pas un "enfant", dans quelques mois il sera catégorisé "adulte" et c'est pas comme si on faisait un bond en termes de maturité le jour de ses 18 ans... Et il était déjà sous contrôle judiciaire pour d'autres affaires donc il avait parfaitement conscience de la gravité et de la conséquence de ses actions.

Cela dit oui, c'est pas normal qu'il soit aussi facile d'accéder à ce genre d'infos, et la responsabilité de free doit être mise en cause également.

Yeah, or he could spend what amounts to chump change (for him) on Trump and do whatever he likes.

Add this to the pile of reasons why it's a terrible idea, except for traffickers and politics looking to score cheap points with the right I guess...

Nah, here in France we've been using the same revolutionary approach to drugs for decades now: be tougher on crime. We're more and more repressive, while usage keeps climbing. Each new interior minister scoffs at the idea of legalization, explaining instead that his predecessors failed because they just weren't tough enough.

Je suppose que c'est une espèce de circonstance atténuante, un peu comme quand ils mentionnent l'âge avancé de la victime. Quand on est enceinte on est souvent crevé et le corps fait pleins de trucs perturbants, et on est plus susceptible de mordre à l'hameçon.

Oh he knows, he's been doing it for a long time. Only this time he's bought the US government, and spends most of his time with the president-elect, so these tweets have consequences in the real world too. He's also perfectly aware of this, as is his buddy Putin.