Putin now faces indirect criticism from hardliners for not being brutal enough in his prosecution of the war. One thing the war has changed is the balance within the pro-Kremlin elite. From 47 percent in December 2021, the proportion fearing a “return to mass repression” dropped to just 8 percent in March 2022. And by 2021, 84 percent of Russians said they would not express opinions about the forthcoming parliamentary election in a public place. No reviews Between 2015 and December 2021, the number of political prisoners in Russia jumped from 36 to 83, according to the Memorial Human Rights Center. And yet, in other ways Russia since the war seems very much the continuation of Russia in the four years preceding it. As noted, a ...