"Democracy never took hold in Russia, in the sense that power never changed hands after freely contested elections."

"The Russian Federation has created limitations that are not conducive to undertaking election observation."

"Perhaps the most important requirement in an election is that voters have a choice. It sounds trivial, but that is so…"

"Putin’s control of the media is becoming more and more comprehensive. What is left over, that ownership does not ensu…"

"I think the idea people had after 1991 that there would be a quick transition is clearly wrong... A lot of it has to …"

"In 1999 the ailing Yeltsin anointed a former Leningrad KGB boss, Vladimir Putin, as his successor. The contrast was t…"

"The predominance of the intelligence services and mentality is a core feature of Putin’s Russia that marks a major an…"

"We are hurtling back into a Soviet abyss, into an information vacuum that spells death from our own ignorance. All we…"

"History shows that the process of modernization leads societies to form liberal democracies with market systems. Yet …"

"The nature of its Government is interference, negligence and corruption. You rebel against the notion that you could …"