Even communist Soviet Union at the height of the cold war allowed access to foreign media within its borders. We are now more literally more censored than communist soviets. Let it sink in.
I was in Shakhty in 2005 and noticed how rarely I saw police. I felt very free in Russia. Once in the Moscow metro station an officer question me but walked off after seeing my passport. My beard and sunglasses made him think I was a terrorist from Chechnya.
On train I went to caboose dining car for first aid after being sliced by protruding sharp metal on a door. Officer asked me to show him how and where this happened. When I showed him he promptly lost interest.
In Shakhty I registered my presence at police station with a bored and grumpy dour faced officer who then dismissed me and returned to his cigarettes and coffee. He was clearly annoyed by the bother of recording my presence on a small document he had me sign.
That's the extent of my police interaction in Russia. Other than those three times I never even saw police.
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