Government

Since 1991, Russia has operated as a semi-presidential republic with a federal structure. Despite being officially recognized as a "democratic federal state with a republican form of government" according to the Constitution, the political landscape in Russia has evolved in ways that deviate from traditional democratic principles. It now has characteristics that go beyond typical democratic norms and contain elements of autocracy and oligarchy, while at the same time significantly restricting basic freedoms. As a result, there is an ongoing debate about how to classify Russia's political system, using terms such as managed democracy, simulated democracy, authoritarian presidential regime, or super-presidential model of government.

The organization Freedom House is considering Russia as a "consolidated authoritarian regime" with a tremendously low democracy rating of 2/100.

Opposition

There is currently no strong opposition in Russia, which is due to the systematic repression by the government. Recent cases, such as the long prison sentence for opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, show that the space for dissent is shrinking.

Prominent opposition politician Alexei Navalny still has influence despite his imprisonment, but his reach is limited. Protests in Russia are becoming increasingly risky.

The Russian government only recognizes "systemic opposition parties" that outwardly oppose those in power but often agree with them. The current parties in the State Duma do not have the characteristics of a true opposition.

The lack of a cohesive opposition coalition is due to problems such as internal disputes and leadership problems. The future of the Russian opposition is uncertain; the open question of Putin's successor does not lead to an active opposition. A solid opposition could emerge again only when Putin's influence wanes.