On 
there’s a large thread of people saying all these horrible things about daily life in the USSR countries. Things about how hard it was to get light bulbs, how there were black markets for everything, political disappearances, etc.
How much of this is true? Has any of these narratives been debunked, and if so what are some good sources to get accurate accounts of what daily life was like before Pizza Hut came to Moscow?
Followup: it’s also important to remember that the SU fell apart, it happened for a reason and stories are going to bias towards the bad side, if you want a more neutral perspective then open up red note and ask people how China is (or watch Luna Oi for a Vietnamese perspective)