President Putin is forcing a move that will effectively cripple all NGOs working within Russia. By forcing even foreign NGOs to register as Russian entities, Putin is binding them to even stricter financial and legal obligations. It's Russia's way of limiting (or squashing) dissent.
I've written before that Russia's democratic institutions will likely not resemble ours and that we should grant a little leeway as their democracy evolves. But that was before Putin initiated move after move to kill dissent and consolidate his power. Looks like I was wrong; it's hard to see how any of the moves he has made function to facilitate democracy. In fact, it's difficult to see how Russia resembles a democracy at all.
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