Thats it?
Former President and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was re-elected president in March 2012 on the heels of hotly disputed December 2011 Duma elections. Political repression is on the rise. Prominent opposition figures have been forced to leave the country, and others have been prosecuted on what appear to be trumped-up charges. Sergey Magnitsky, an anti-corruption crusader and whistleblower, died in jail. The state has reasserted its dominance in the aerospace, mining, and oil and gas industries, and the state budget remains heavily dependent on exports of natural resources, especially hydrocarbons. Russia’s reputation for cronyism and corruption and an inhospitable regulatory environment have damaged its investment climate as well as its emerging small-business community. Russia became a member of the World Trade Organization in August 2012 and is making a bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.