Lilia Shevtsova. Lonely power (№ 389492)

The Russian elite can boast of another achievement - the ability to mimic Western institutions. In Russia there are all the institutions that form the basis of Western democracy. But they function as a cover of personified power. Russian leaders are actively using liberal rhetoric, and in the Russian government there are still people who are known as liberals. And all of this complicates not only the development of real democracy in Russia, but liberal criticism of the Russian system. Moreover, the existence of a sham Parliament, multi-party, organizations that use a liberal slogans, in the eyes of public opinion discreditied liberal democracy, generating among the people of the attraction to the net model of authoritarianism. "Why do we have all these servile deputies! - talking to other citizens. - Let's better ruled one".