^ Seems so, yes. This is not to the Kremlin's credit though. There is no doubt that Putin still tries to isolate Russia from public access to international information sources, and encrypted messaging - which of course makes perfect sense. To him, or any totalitarian regime.
I know he only does it to "protect", of course. Ahem.
Despite all this turbulence and inefficient politics in the "west", certain regimes still seem to have a veritable fear of free thinking and public exchange. And the thing is once this free thinking has been set free, it is hard to incarcerate again.
https://meduza.io/en/cards/russia-is...-s-failing-why
I admit I do not quite understand Putin. Bedeveling the enemy is one thing, but ridiculing him makes people careless. Assumed that Putin regards the West as the enemy and describing it as weak, decadent and corrupt, this strategy sucks in the long run.
The only friend helping him is the West itself (see Skybird
). But the constant discussing and even setbacks is the real advantage it has vs. totalitarian regimes like China, or Russia.
Maybe Putin is ahead of all this thinking and really tries to improve a civilian society in Russia, but what we have seen until now is not effective. A 'multipolar world', yes it still is and becoming more so. Unfortunately. This cannot be the way to the future though. Just of all RT b.t.w. denies a multipolar world.
If everyone who had a halfway decent education could choose, where would you say would such a person prefer to live? In China? Russia?