The Spying Rock

In another incident in which Putin's autocratic side has been showing, the Kremlin (via Rossiya, the state owned television station) accused the British of spying on Russia using a fake rock hidden in a park. As the Times (UK) reports:

British sources said that the Russian action appeared to be less an attempt to humiliate an old Cold War adversary than an attempt by the Kremlin to justify President Putin’s controversial decision last week to sign a new law imposing draconian restrictions on the activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

So much for democracy in Russia. 15 years after the decline of the Soviet Union and Russia under Putin seems headed more for autocracy than democracy. It is a shame, but one that European and American leaders in the past 5 years share some responsibility for.