Russia's Current State (freedoms, etc.)

Hey guys,

I am currently researching/looking into the current state of Russia. This is a pretty broad thing to look into, so here's my focus.

Over the past few months many have been saying Russia has become less democratic than it ever has been in the past (not that that's very long...). Many say people in that country's citizens are losing more and more of their freedoms with the current government in place.

How valid are these statements? What is the current state of Russia?

I will be back in the evening to post my views, maybe you guys can post yours?

Any info is appreciated, thanks.

The media has undergone a transition, whereby all major outlets are now pro-Putin. There is little opposition to the regime in most media channels.

The governors are effectively appointed by the Prez, not elected by the local population.

Ah yes, I remember reading about the change in media...isn't Italy somethign like that as well?

I'm having difficulty searching for past topics on this..can anybody help a bit with what I should throw in the search engine?

would this be along the lines of what you are looking for?
www.freedomhouse.org...

and this is the google search of ATS Google Results

i hope that works