The State of Affairs in Russia

[Berkut]

Seems like these days getting detained is about the best you can hope for if you are a Russian opposing Putin.

He is lucky he didn't slip and fall in front of a train.

[CountDeMoney]

Dude, you've got to have a real insecurity problem if you have to go after these weenies.

Russia Moves to Ban Jehovah's Witnesses as 'Extremist'

[DGuller]

It's probably not the best idea to be walking around in Russia and calling yourself a witness.

[garbon]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/07/vladimir-putin-i-dont-have-bad-days-because-im-not-a-woman

Vladimir Putin: I don't have bad days because I'm not a woman

...


When Stone asked the Russian president during a tour of the Kremlin if he ever had bad days, Putin said being a man meant he did not have to worry about this. "I am not a woman, so I don't have bad days. I am not trying to insult anyone. That's just the nature of things. There are certain natural cycles," Putin told the director, according to Bloomberg News, which has seen an advance version of the documentary.

...

Putin also used the interview to deny there was any persecution of gay people in Russia, despite a law against the "propaganda of homosexuality among minors" and recent reports of a "gay purge" in the Russian republic of Chechnya. But when asked whether he would be comfortable showering next to a gay man, he said no.

"I prefer not to go to the shower with him. Why provoke him? But you know, I'm a judo master," said Putin, laughing.

[Valmy]

He is just working to endear himself to his alt-right fans.

[Syt]

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/03/russia-makes-it-illegal-to-insult-officials-or-publish-fake-news/

Vladimir Putin signs sweeping Internet-censorship bills

Publishing "unreliable socially significant information" can lead to big fines.

President Vladimir Putin has tightened his grip on the Russian Internet Monday, signing two censorship bills into law. One bans "fake news" while the other makes it illegal to insult public officials.

Russia has never really been a liberal democracy. It lacks an independent judiciary, and the government has found a variety of techniques to harass and intimidate independent media in the country.

But the new legislation gives the Russian government more direct tools to censor online speech. Analyst Maria Snegovaya told The Washington Post that the legislation "significantly expands the repressive power of Russia's repressive apparatus."

Under one bill, individuals can face fines and jail time if they publish material online that shows a "clear disrespect for society, the state, the official state symbols of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, and bodies exercising state power."

Insults against Putin himself can be punished under the law, The Moscow Times reports. Punishments can be as high as 300,000 rubles ($4,700) and 15 days in jail.

A second bill subjects sites publishing "unreliable socially significant information" to fines as high as 1.5 million rubles ($23,000).

"Russia has not historically had major constraints on Internet freedom," analyst Matthew Rojansky told the Post. "The Internet has thus been one realm in which full diversity of opinion and free expression, even on the most sensitive political topics, were generally permitted."

Now, however, the Russian government has "essentially unconstrained authority to determine that any speech is unacceptable. One consequence may be to make it nearly impossible for individuals or groups to call for public protest activity against any action taken by the state."

The Russian government has steadily tightened its grip over the Russian Internet, The Moscow Times notes. "Tougher Internet laws introduced over the past five years require search engines to delete some search results, messaging services to share encryption keys with security services, and social networks to store users' personal data on servers within the country."

[Barrister]

Pollster in Russia publishes a poll saying people's trust in in Putin is at 30%.

Kremlin criticizes the pollster.

Within 24 hours a new poll is published, saying public trust in Putin is at 72%.



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-31/trust-in-putin-soars-after-kremlin-criticizes-state-pollster?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic

[Tonitrus]

Hmm, if not "fake news", it is kind of misleading news (not as if polls are really news anyway).

The two polls are rather quite different...the first was an open "name the politician you trust" vs "do your trust Putin or not".  For the open question, Putin lead any other by over 2 to 1, and the two runners up (and 4 of the top 5, those alas, the fifth is our good buddy Vladimir Zhironovsky) are major government figures.

The press release from the second poll even references the first's results (along with several other related poll questions).

[DGuller]

Hmm, if not "fake news", it is kind of misleading news (not as if polls are really news anyway).

The two polls are rather quite different...the first was an open "name the politician you trust" vs "do your trust Putin or not".  For the open question, Putin lead any other by over 2 to 1, and the two runners up (and 4 of the top 5, those alas, the fifth is our good buddy Vladimir Zhironovsky) are major government figures.

The press release from the second poll even references the first's results (along with several other related poll questions).

If it's as you describe, then it is fake news.  I don't understand why people have a gradation of terms for trying to fool people, the goal is always one and the same.

[Tonitrus]

Hmm, I think it's far more likely it is just lazy/sloppy reporting in lamely trying to sensationalize something that isn't sensational.

[Valmy]

Hmm, I think it's far more likely it is just lazy/sloppy reporting in lamely trying to sensationalize something that isn't sensational.

So lying and spreading fake stories is good so long as you are doing it for sensationalism or out of laziness?

[Tonitrus]

Hmm, I think it's far more likely it is just lazy/sloppy reporting in lamely trying to sensationalize something that isn't sensational.

So lying and spreading fake stories is good so long as you are doing it for sensationalism or out of laziness?

[DGuller]

Hmm, I think it's far more likely it is just lazy/sloppy reporting in lamely trying to sensationalize something that isn't sensational.

Probably, plus lack of critical thinking skills.  Anyone even remotely up to date on the state of affairs in Russia would at least give a double take on hearing that Putin is trusted by only 30% of Russians.

[The Brain]

I was very tempted by the Putin busts for sale in Russia.

[Valmy]

Hmm, I think it's far more likely it is just lazy/sloppy reporting in lamely trying to sensationalize something that isn't sensational.

So lying and spreading fake stories is good so long as you are doing it for sensationalism or out of laziness?

I guess I don't get the distinction. You are still distorting things and it is still very destructive.