Far from it. Read what Putin has said about taxes. Russia, even under Putin, is becoming more open and free. But yet Putin is still willing to stand firm against Islam. He has repeatedly refused all encouragement to raise taxes.
You can have all the democfracy you want but in the end your only as free as your tax burden. By that measure I am about 50% free. I spend half of my life in forced service to my countrymen.
Russia becoming more open and free? With the clamps down on free speech that are already on the record? With the police being a bit too free with the truncheon? With Putin (and his KGB background) getting his third term as president? With the government buying controlling shares in what are supposed to be private companies? Should we get into the assassinations too . . . ?
Obama’s open deference to Medvedev and Putin should have told one all one needs to know about Russia, never mind all the rest.