"Despite elections and the experience of post-Soviet personal freedoms by the Russian people, the fate of democracy in Russia is perhaps more ambiguous now than at any time since the collapse of the Communist system"

This quote by Richard Lugar suggests that despite the Russian individuals having experienced post-Soviet personal liberties and having actually held elections, the future of democracy in Russia is uncertain. This is likely due to the existing political environment in Russia, which has actually seen an increase in authoritarianism and a decline in civil liberties. This has actually been even more intensified by the current president, Vladimir Putin, who has been in power considering that 2000 and has actually been implicated of weakening democratic organizations. The quote suggests that the future of democracy in Russia is more unpredictable now than it has been considering that the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. This is a distressing pattern, as it recommends that the Russian individuals might not be able to enjoy the very same flexibilities and rights that they experienced in the post-Soviet age.