Is Russia a Democracy? Recent actions by Vladimir Putin suggests that it is not. He is something else: a 21st Century Dictator who uses “democracy” as a PR move.
Russia’s parliament, known as the Duma, has passed the third reading of a bill that would label NGOs accepting international funding as “foreign agents”.

Opposition groups say the law is just the latest attempt by Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, to stifle opponents.

Earlier this week, Russia’s parliament approved a controversial information law that empowers the government to unilaterally block websites. Some say it is a step forward in the fight against pornography, but opponents fear it is just another restriction on civil society. They say once the technology is in place to block certain sites there is nothing to stop it being used to block and censor others.

After Putin’s inauguration in May, a host of controversial laws have passed through parliament.

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