Looking at Russian leadership would you say the USSR ever died?

The USSR is certainly dead. Russia has simply returned to the same autocratic condition it was in for hundreds of years before 1917.

And it wasn't autocratic after 1917 and before 1991?

Yes it was. Russia has always been autocratic.

How Russia is autocratic? Long term leadership is what Russian people are looking for as only this way you can properly develop a such a huge country. It's not an island like UK that can afford to change political party every 4 years

They change political leadership in the USA every four years so I don't see your point.

They don't have political opposition leaders assassinated in the USA or lock people up for singing in a Cathedral or arrest people for protesting either. They also have freedom of speech; a free press for example.

a free press? I don't see any alternative media in USA apart from RT America. Russia is emerging country , USA is established that's why it can afford to to elect every 4 years.

Hooliganism in cathedral is illegal in most of places, the pussy riot was charged with antisemitism also. People are free to protest as long as they will not throw Molotov cocktails at police like it happened in Ukraine.

Russia has a sovereign democracy

There are literally tens of thousands of media sources in the US - anything from online blogs to newspapers and they don't get shut down if they don't follow a party line either.

In most countries being disrespectful in a church isn't regarded as hooliganism and you don't get locked up for two years in Siberia for doing it.

Pussy Riot were not charged with anti-Semitism. This story comes from Putin deliberately mixing the activities with Tolokonnikova during her time with Voina some years earlier. (The activity in question wasn't anti-Semitic anyway - it was a satire)

You should also know that it's not illegal to be an anti-Semite in the USA either. All opinions may be freely expressed, even anti-Semitic ones.

To say that Russia is an emerging country and the USA is an established country is absurd. Russia has been a nation state since at least 1453 in one form or another.

Pardon emerging economy. Pussy riot is where it belongs.

The media sources you are talking about talks about Hollywood Russian stereotypes like vodka, corruption and nuclear bomb . There is no alternative point of view in US media. Or a media that opposes the government , Russia for example has EHO Moskva which is an anti government media outlet.

Russia is a petro-state. (It didn't learn the lessons of the USSR when plummeting oil prices caused near economic collapse.) It relies on oil which is why it's currently in such a poor economic condition. That's just mismanagement plain and simple. That's what happens when autocratic politicians run a command economy rather than let free markets flourish.

Russia is corrupt. In the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International Russia ranked 136 in 2014. How else does a man that's been a full time civil servant for his entire career (Putin) become one of the wealthiest men in the world with a net worth of $70 billion, (on an annual salary of $187,000!)

There are more alternative points of view in the US than you can count.

EHO Moskva is majority owned by Gazprom Media which holds 66%. (How independent Gazprom is of state interference and influence is highly questionable) You should also know that on 1 November 2014 Echo of Moscow received an official Roskomnadzor. A radio station can be closed down if it receives two Roskomnadzor warnings in one year so the threat of the government coming in and shutting this station down is ever present. Again, the US government does not shut down radio stations if they voice opinions they don't want to hear.

Sign.

Putin recovered the economy after Eltsin , improved patriotism , prevented degradation of nation, modernised the security and established Russia in foreign arena . This year is the year when Russia starts diversification programme "2020". US has no radios to shut down because there is no alternative point of view.

You really believe that US Forbes is the true source ? Do you think US media will ever talk anything good about Putin ? Why you are so confident that the enemy of Russia will tell the truth about President of Russia?

Show me the alternative point of view in US media please!

What happened to Bill Maher after expressing an alternative view at Abc politically incorrect?

Why would Russia join OECD anti-bribery convention and G20 presidency? Do you think officials are corrupt or they are fighting corruption ?

Look at federal anti corruption law No. 273 and article 13.3. It's the same practice with uk and us

Sign.

Putin recovered the economy after Eltsin , improved patriotism , prevented degradation of nation, modernised the security and established Russia in foreign arena . This year is the year when Russia starts diversification programme "2020". US has no radios to shut down because there is no alternative point of view.

You really believe that US Forbes is the true source ? Do you think US media will ever talk anything good about Putin ? Why you are so confident that the enemy of Russia will tell the truth about President of Russia?

Show me the alternative point of view in US media please!

What happened to Bill Maher after expressing an alternative view at Abc politically incorrect?

Why would Russia join OECD anti-bribery convention and G20 presidency? Do you think officials are corrupt or they are fighting corruption ?

Look at federal anti corruption law No. 273 and article 13.3. It's the same practice with uk and us

Yes, what did happen to Bill Maher? Well, I watch his show every Friday night so evidently not much. If he were a Russian news host he'd probably have disappeared by now. "Politically Incorrect" was discontinued when advertisers withdrew their support and ratings fell as a result of Maher's comments - it had nothing to do with government intervention. It was a strictly commercial decision.

No alternative? Have you ever listened to Rush Limbaugh? He'd have been locked up in Russia had he criticised Putin the way he does Odumbo. There are 100's of radio shows like his broadcast all over the US. Have you heard of Fox News? Bill O'Reilly? Sean Hannity? Glen Beck? Not exactly big fans of Obummer are they? Michael Savage? Ann Coulter? The list goes on....

But back to the bigger point. I could stand outside the WhiteHouse with a placard reading "impeach Obama for treason" and nobody would bat an eyelid. If I did the same outside the Kremlin I'd be beaten up by the police (if I were lucky)

Russian anti corruption laws are irrelevant if they are not adhered to and the proof's in the pudding. I'm sure Zimbabwe has similar legislation but so what? Again, Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International ranks Russia at 136. And you haven't explained how a full time civil servant become one of the wealthiest men in the world with a net worth of $70 billion, (on an annual salary of $187,000!) He did that without being as bent as a 6 dollar bill?


The Russian economy sucks. The Ruble has lost God knows how much value as its tied to the fortunes of oil - the only thing that Russia produces. Millions are and living in poverty (3.1 million more joined the ranks in 2015)

The economy, according to the World Bank, is set to contract another 1.9% this year.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/russias-worsening-economy-puts-millions-into-poverty/

Inflation is a massive 7.3%

http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-cpi-march-2016-4

So why are you in Norwich if Russia is such a paradise? Are you a Russian stooge? I though all you guys were holed up in a big office in St.Petersburg sending messages defending Putin's foreign policy on yahoo comments.

How Russia is autocratic? Long term leadership is what Russian people are looking for as only this way you can properly develop a such a huge country. It's not an island like UK that can afford to change political party every 4 years