Just to play a little bit of a devils advocate, though the 'Soviet-esque' like trial of Pussy Riot is outrageous and Putin and his cronies are indeed ruling Russia in an authoritarian like manner, let's not forget Russia before Putin was essentially a Mafia/Oligarch state. The difference now is the Mafia/Oligarchy has been replaced by the ex USSR security establishment individuals. Both times Russia was/is a crony capitalist state but now it's ruled with more of an iron fist and with defence spending and foreign policy given more priority (and sky high oil and gas prices definitely helped Putin to achieve his goals). The West doesn't like this stronger more independent Russia. It preferred a drunk Boris Yelstin to the thinly veiled tyrant Putin.
