主题：【奖励20点经验和5点积分值】俄罗斯现在经济到底如何？ -- 不爱吱声

Vladimir Putin's Russia, in many ways, looks and feels like a new Soviet Union. The Russian president, who once praised democratic reform, now rules, some Russian experts say, like an old party chairman — crushing all opposition, cracking down on anti-government protests, even appointing mayors and regional governors.

The debate is over: Russia is not a democracy. President Vladimir Putin has weakened checks and balances within the state, diminished political and legal transparency, and made it impossible for independent media, political parties or nongovernmental groups to flourish.

Even the Bush administration's newly released National Security Strategy finally acknowledges this, concluding that "recent trends regrettably point toward a diminishing commitment to democratic freedoms and institutions" in Russia.