Shadows of a Democracy

摘要

Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin won Russia's presidential election in a landslide, a result that surprised no one in a country long accustomed to living in the former KGB man's authoritarian shadow. European monitors said the election was "clearly skewed" in Putin's favor, but that made little difference. As Putin declared victory, protests in Moscow-far smaller and more muted than demonstrations earlier this winter-were swiftly snuffed out.