Exactly which rights are those of us currently in Russia are missing, that we had pre-Crimea-annexation?
...
Some think they can trust Putin for now and the system will magically change “gradually”...they are mistaken.
The system IS changing gradually, right before our eyes. It is easy to miss it if you're not in Russia, and are getting your information via the US media filter, but those of us here feel it getting better and better. "Putin strengthening his grip on society" is BS propaganda.
I was there between 2015 and 2017. As I said: check back in 2024.
I was there between 2015 and 2017 just as the Yarovaya Law went into effect against missionaries, cults, terrorists, and whoever else falls under category of “extremists.” And several Evangelicals have been punished or fined for their activities.
There are Russian expats here in Los Angeles who miss home but know their dreams and professional aspirations have no place in today’s Russia.
A modest 20 year old I know who showed up at a Navalny protest used his phone to tape another young innocent bystander who wasn’t doing anything being beaten and dragged by riot police.
Playwright Kirill Seribrennikov is under house arrest for stupid, trumped up charges. Not saying he is a saint or even a good artist...but the fact is only government approved art is safe...the movie “Death of Stalin” is banned from theatres.
2017 had one of the lowest birthrates on record.
HIV is an epidemic.
Gulag historians are blocked from archives and records.
Among mannnyyyy other things...
Again: We will see where Russia is in 2024.