According to a recent poll nearly nine out of 10 Russians, 2014 has been a great year for their country. In the wake of the annexation of the Crimea in March, Russians have been riding a wave of patriotism, nostalgia and triumphalism.
President Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings have climbed to a whopping 86 percent, while Russian state TV whips up almost Soviet-era levels of xenophobia and hatred of the U.S. In the meantime, Russia’s security forces are aggressively rolling back the Internet and civil society.
The Duma, backed by the Russian Orthodox Church, has been busy churning out ultraconservative legislation on …read more
Source: Newsweek
