Vladimir Putin's Russia went from a country that tolerated some dissent to one that ruthlessly represses it. Arrests, trials and long prison terms, once uncommon, are now common.
The Kremlin now attacks human rights groups, independent media and other members of civil society organizations. “Russia is no longer an authoritarian state; “It is a totalitarian state,” said Oleg Orlov, co-president of Memorial, the Russian human rights group focused on political repression.