PUTINāS Dark Turn: From Authoritarian to Totalitarian ā The Shocking Evolution of Russia
ā In the wake of opposition leader Boris Nemtsovās assassination in February 2015, shock and anger rippled through over 50,000 Muscovites. Yet, when well-known opposition figure Alexei Navalny died behind bars in February 2024, those mourning his loss faced riot police and arrests. This change signals a chilling transformation in Vladimir Putinās Russia ā from merely tolerating dissent to brutally crushing it.
Since Moscowās invasion of Ukraine, arrests, trials and long prison sentences have become the norm. The Kremlin now targets not just political rivals but also human rights organizations, independent media outlets, civil society groups and LGBTQ+ activists. Oleg Orlov, co-chair of Memorial ā a Russian human rights organization ā has branded Russia as a ātotalitarian stateā.
Orlov himself was arrested and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for criticizing the militaryās actions in Ukraine just one month after his damning statement. According to Memorialās estimates, there are nearly 680 political prisoners currently held captive in Russia.
Another organization called OVD-Info reported that as of November there were over a thousand