Comment le système politique de la Russie actuelle diffère-t-il de celui de l'Union soviétique en termes de respect des libertés individuelles et de pratiques démocratiques ?
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world by area, extending across eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country. Russia is a highly urbanised country including 16 population centres with over a million inhabitants. Its capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city and its cultural capital.

The East Slavs emerged as a recognised group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries CE. The first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', arose in the 9th century, and in 988, it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated; the Grand Duchy of Moscow led the unification of Russian lands, leading to the proclamation of the Tsardom of Russia in 1547. By the early 18th century, Russia had vastly expanded through conquest, annexation, and the efforts of Russian explorers, developing into the Russian Empire, which remains the third-largest empire in history. However, with the Russian Revolution in 1917, Russia's monarchic rule was abolished and eventually replaced by the Russian SFSR —the world's first constitutionally socialist state. Following the Russian Civil War, the Russian SFSR established the Soviet Union with three other Soviet republics, within which it was the largest and principal constituent. At the expense of millions of lives, the Soviet Union underwent rapid industrialisation in the 1930s and later played a decisive role for the Allies in World War II by leading large-scale efforts on the Eastern Front. With the onset of the Cold War, it competed with the United States for ideological dominance and international influence. The Soviet era of the 20th century saw some of the most significant Russian technological achievements, including the first human-made satellite and the first human expedition into outer space.

In 1991, the Russian SFSR emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union as the Russian Federation. A new constitution was adopted, which established a federal semi-presidential system. Since the turn of the century, Russia's political system has been dominated by Vladimir Putin, under whom the country has experienced democratic backsliding and a shift towards authoritarianism. Russia has been militarily involved in a number of conflicts in former Soviet states and other countries, including its war with Georgia in 2008 and its war with Ukraine since 2014, which has involved the internationally unrecognised annexations of Ukrainian territory including Crimea in 2014 and four other regions in 2022 during an ongoing invasion.

Russia is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council; a member state of the G20, SCO, BRICS, APEC, OSCE, and WTO; and the leading member state of post-Soviet organisations such as CIS, CSTO, and EAEU/EEU. It possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons and has the third-highest military expenditure. Russia is generally considered a great power and is a regional power. Internationally, Russia ranks very low in measurements of democracy, human rights and freedom of the press; the country also has high levels of perceived corruption. As of 2024, Russia has a high-income economy which ranks eleventh in the world by nominal GDP and sixth at purchasing power parity, relying on its vast mineral and energy resources; the world's second-largest for oil production and natural gas production. Russia is home to 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Russie

La Constitution de la Fédération de Russie garantit en théorie de nombreux droits et libertés civiles similaires à ceux des États-Unis, à l'exception du droit de porter des armes, à savoir : la liberté d'expression, la liberté de religion, la liberté d'association et de réunion, la liberté de choisir sa langue, le droit à la procédure régulière, à un procès équitable, à la vie privée, à la liberté de vote, au droit à l'éducation, etc. Cependant, des organisations de défense des droits de l'homme comme Amnesty International ont averti que Vladimir Poutine a considérablement restreint la liberté d'expression, la liberté de réunion et la liberté d'association, dans un contexte de montée de l'autoritarisme.
### Query ###
Comment le système politique de la Russie actuelle diffère-t-il de celui de l'Union soviétique en termes de respect des libertés individuelles et de pratiques démocratiques ?

### Main Text ###
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world by area, extending across eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country. Russia is a highly urbanised country including 16 population centres with over a million inhabitants. Its capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city and its cultural capital.

The East Slavs emerged as a recognised group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries CE. The first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', arose in the 9th century, and in 988, it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated; the Grand Duchy of Moscow led the unification of Russian lands, leading to the proclamation of the Tsardom of Russia in 1547. By the early 18th century, Russia had vastly expanded through conquest, annexation, and the efforts of Russian explorers, developing into the Russian Empire, which remains the third-largest empire in history. However, with the Russian Revolution in 1917, Russia's monarchic rule was abolished and eventually replaced by the Russian SFSR —the world's first constitutionally socialist state. Following the Russian Civil War, the Russian SFSR established the Soviet Union with three other Soviet republics, within which it was the largest and principal constituent. At the expense of millions of lives, the Soviet Union underwent rapid industrialisation in the 1930s and later played a decisive role for the Allies in World War II by leading large-scale efforts on the Eastern Front. With the onset of the Cold War, it competed with the United States for ideological dominance and international influence. The Soviet era of the 20th century saw some of the most significant Russian technological achievements, including the first human-made satellite and the first human expedition into outer space.

In 1991, the Russian SFSR emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union as the Russian Federation. A new constitution was adopted, which established a federal semi-presidential system. Since the turn of the century, Russia's political system has been dominated by Vladimir Putin, under whom the country has experienced democratic backsliding and a shift towards authoritarianism. Russia has been militarily involved in a number of conflicts in former Soviet states and other countries, including its war with Georgia in 2008 and its war with Ukraine since 2014, which has involved the internationally unrecognised annexations of Ukrainian territory including Crimea in 2014 and four other regions in 2022 during an ongoing invasion.

Russia is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council; a member state of the G20, SCO, BRICS, APEC, OSCE, and WTO; and the leading member state of post-Soviet organisations such as CIS, CSTO, and EAEU/EEU. It possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons and has the third-highest military expenditure. Russia is generally considered a great power and is a regional power. Internationally, Russia ranks very low in measurements of democracy, human rights and freedom of the press; the country also has high levels of perceived corruption. As of 2024, Russia has a high-income economy which ranks eleventh in the world by nominal GDP and sixth at purchasing power parity, relying on its vast mineral and energy resources; the world's second-largest for oil production and natural gas production. Russia is home to 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

### Supplementary Text ###
Russie

La Constitution de la Fédération de Russie garantit en théorie de nombreux droits et libertés civiles similaires à ceux des États-Unis, à l'exception du droit de porter des armes, à savoir : la liberté d'expression, la liberté de religion, la liberté d'association et de réunion, la liberté de choisir sa langue, le droit à la procédure régulière, à un procès équitable, à la vie privée, à la liberté de vote, au droit à l'éducation, etc. Cependant, des organisations de défense des droits de l'homme comme Amnesty International ont averti que Vladimir Poutine a considérablement restreint la liberté d'expression, la liberté de réunion et la liberté d'association, dans un contexte de montée de l'autoritarisme.

### Draft ###

Query: "Comment le système politique de la Russie actuelle diffère-t-il de celui de l'Union soviétique en termes de respect des libertés individuelles et de pratiques démocratiques ?"

Translation check: "How does Russia's current political system differ from that of the Soviet Union in terms of respect for individual liberties and democratic practices?"

Key semantic: "diffère" (differs) → comparative analysis required, not just descriptive.

### 1. Domain Mapping

Political systems comparison. Two distinct epochs:
- USSR (1922-1991): Marxist-Leninist single-party state
- Russia (1991-present): Federal semi-presidential republic

Core dimensions for analysis:
├─ Institutional structure
├─ Individual freedoms framework  
├─ Democratic practices
└─ Historical evolution trajectory

### 2. Fundamental Structural Differences

USSR foundation: ●
- Communist Party monopoly
- Centralized planning
- State ownership of means of production
- Ideological control apparatus

Russia-91 foundation: ●
- Federal republic structure
- Constitutional democracy framework
- Separation of powers
- Market economy transition

→ Basic institutional architecture fundamentally inverted.

### 3. Individual Liberties Analysis

USSR practices ◐:
- Limited freedom of expression
- Restricted assembly/association  
- Censorship mechanisms
- State surveillance
- Limited religious practice
- Authoritarian social control

Russia-2024 practices ◐:
- Formal constitutional protections
- Media pluralism (partial)
- Religious freedom (conditional)
- Elections held (managed competition)
- Civil society space (shrinking)

? Key uncertainty: Formal vs. practical freedoms. Constitutional guarantees ≠ implementation reality.

### 4. Democratic Practices Comparison

USSR mechanisms ○:
- Single-party elections (window dressing)
- No meaningful opposition
- Centralized decision-making
- Party elite control

Russia-2024 mechanisms ◐:
- Competitive elections (managed)
- Federal structure (theoretical decentralization)
- Constitutional court system
- BUT: democratic backsliding, authoritarian consolidation

### 5. Historical Trajectory

USSR evolution:
- Initial revolutionary period → Stalinist centralization → Brezhnev stagnation → Gorbachev reforms → Collapse (1991)

Russia evolution:
- Yeltsin democratic transition → Putin authoritarian capture → Stabilized autocracy

⚠ Critical juncture: 2000s Putin consolidation = key inflection point.

### 6. Current State Assessment  

Russia-2024 vs USSR:

Formal structure: ☑ Republic vs Communist state
Individual freedoms: ◐ Constitutional protections vs implementation gaps  
Democratic practices: ◐ Electoral mechanisms vs managed competition
Stability: ☑ Different stability models (legitimacy vs coercion)

∴ Core difference: USSR = ideological legitimacy + structural rigidity, Russia = formal democratic institutions + managed authoritarianism.

Current Putin system: Institutional mimicry of democracy while consolidating personal power → "competitive authoritarianism" (Levitsky/Ziblatt framework).

### 7. Synthesis

USSR vs Russia comparison reveals:

1. Fundamental institutional inversion: centralized communist system → federal republic
2. Individual liberties: formal protections exist but implementation varies dramatically  
3. Democratic practices: managed elections vs genuine competitive politics
4. Historical trajectory: revolutionary transformation → gradual authoritarian consolidation

Key insight: Russia's system combines formal democratic institutions with authoritarian practices → hybrid regime category.

※ Current system differs from USSR not just in structure but in legitimacy strategies and international positioning.

Response framework: Emphasize institutional differences, individual liberties comparison, democratic practice evolution, historical trajectory, current state assessment.

### Answer###
Le système politique russe actuel présente des différences fondamentales avec celui de l'Union soviétique en matière de respect des libertés individuelles et de pratiques démocratiques.

Contrairement au système soviétique, la Russie moderne a adopté une structure constitutionnelle semi-présidentielle fédérale après 1991, établissant théoriquement des garanties pour de nombreux droits et libertés civiles similaires à celles existant dans d'autres démocraties occidentales. La constitution fédérale russe protège formellement la liberté d'expression, la liberté de religion, la liberté d'association et de réunion, le droit à la procédure régulière, le droit à un procès équitable, la vie privée, la liberté de vote, et le droit à l'éducation.

Cependant, sous la direction de Vladimir Poutine depuis le début du siècle, le système politique russe a connu une évolution autoritaire significative. Des organisations de défense des droits humains ont alerté sur les restrictions imposées à la liberté d'expression, à la liberté de réunion et à la liberté d'association, caractérisant cette évolution comme une limitation substantielle des pratiques démocratiques.

À l'échelle internationale, la Russie occupe des positions très défavorables dans les classements relatifs à la démocratie, aux droits humains et à la liberté de presse. Le pays fait également face à des niveaux élevés de corruption perçue, ce qui contraste avec les principes théoriques de son système constitutionnel.

Cette transformation s'inscrit dans une trajectoire historique qui a vu la Russie évoluer de sa période soviétique vers une structure politique post-communiste, mais avec une consolidation progressive du pouvoir exécutif et une réduction relative de l'espace démocratique.