Do you remember the classic image of Themis, the goddess of justice? A woman with a sword, scales and a blindfold on her eyes, so that justice is impartial and severe? Above the entrance to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation there also stands Themis. Only her eyes are not covered- she sees who comes before her, seeking for justice. This is very symbolic, and important to note for further understanding of my text.
For those foreigners who judge today's Russia by "Russia Today" and other pro-Russian channels: at the moment, Russia is a fascist state. No-no-no, please, don't be scared of this word. Russia, just like any fascist state, is a country of a corporate government, meaning, that, when any lawless activity is performed by Insiders(let's generalize- those with Connections)- that's ok, they got your back; but for Outsiders(regular people, basically)- there is a severe law for punishment. A state, where the opposition activists are being beaten, humiliated, and one of its leaders is killed "two steps" from the Kremlin gates, and the police "can not find a criminal, the video from the cameras has disappeared." The place where you will be knocked down by car on the pedestrian path and sentenced for damaging the the property (because the owner of the car has Connections). The state, where out of 23 court petitions of the oppositioner 22 are rejected. Speaking about opposition- the names of their leaders are those that "must not be said" - that's how russian tv show host answered Daniel Redcliff's question.
You see, I'm talking about sounding cases, a booming ones. We became so accustomed to this lawlessness, to this fascism, that we do not pay attention to the daily injustice- unfair tolls ("Platon" or for capital renovation), the lies on television, the wild corruption. And if somewhere in Scandinavia, the deputies are just state managers hired to perform their duties and in case of bad work they are dismissed, in Russia, deputies are millionaires with yachts and villas abroad. On television, there are two endless topics- Ukraine and how everything is bad there... and Trump- no words about inner affairs, we live in perfect state, dare to disagree, you fifth column!(that's how they call those who try to say opposite). And Putin himself is tsar- a glorious deity, he can not be criticized. In general, the classical totalitarian system. Lies and propaganda have reached such proportions that they even lie to Putin. In a recent film "interview with Putin", Vladimir shows to Stone video of how Russians bomb syrian terrorist- the internet soon found out, that in reality these are Americans bombing Afgan talibans. And nobody keeps answer, since nobody cares.
Perhaps the most juicy moment is the Church(organization). Let's talk about the resonant case of catching Pokémons in church. This is an ideological crime, you are a terrorist and a traitor of the Motherland- today, Ruslan Sokolovsky, the catcher, is listed as a terrorist element (this has its serious restrictions). For catching Pokémon and denying God.
Today, any opposition to the regime in Russia is a crime. Remember how Orwell spoke- to tell the truth in a time of universal deceit is a revolutionary act? Most recently, a Russian blogger, Ruslan Sokolovsky was convicted for "insulting the feelings of believers". It was conditional sentence. The case was so resonant that even in the Simpsons they ridiculed this event. Unfortunately, no one was surprised of such a verdict. I do not know how foreigners see Russia from outside, but inside here reigns lawlessness and arbitrariness- the letter of the law means nothing, you can be imprisoned for reposting pictures criticizing Putin, or if you wear a T-shirt with the slogan of the opposition, or policeman simply didn't like your face- trust me, he will find for what to suspend you. Police, btw, is a whole separate theme. Tell me, is it fine thing to be scared of your own police? To tremble, when a police car passes by, because they can simply arrest you for nothing? For reading Hamlet? I am not kidding, they do. And the irony is, parliament deputies want to introduce a "presumption of trust" towards policeman, meaning, that his word and actions are a priori lawful and have corresponding weight in case of trial. But back to Ruslan. In the Russian legislation there is an article "for insulting the feelings of believers." In general, the Law is a very definite thing. One should act according to what is precisely written. Tell me, how do you define a believer? Or even more interesting, how to understand what a feeling is? How to understand that you are not a slanderer? If I learned by heart a Bible or a Quran- am I believer? If I have never read the Holy Scripture, but I respect the laws of God- I am a believer? But...what if I just did not like this or that person, huh? This law can be very useful tool- it is so "rubbery" that tomorrow one might not like my hair, the day after tomorrow the language I speak on, and in a week I will be officially forced to wear the hijab. See what I mean? To deny and criticize deity (whether his name is Jesus or Putin) in Russia is a crime, one can be sentenced for that. And the fact that I'm writing this text, they can sentence me for this, too. Russia, 21st century.
There was mentioned a lot of "hard to believe" things in the text with no links. If you're interested in any particular case, i will give links to articles and news. Feel free to ask :)