Repression of journalists in Moscow for daring to cover foreign and defence policy in depth with some objectivity gives one the top end of a process that has been burgeoning under President Putin for some considerable time.

In the provinces out of sight of foreign eyes the repression is equally apparent in the punishment meted out to the young for demonstrating slight disrespect for the President. The Naval’ny opposition team reports via Twitter from Kazan that on 14 July a graduating student was deprived of his first class degree and given an ordinary from the main university in Tatarstan merely because he made use in his work of the term “putinism.”

Штаб Навального в Казани @teamnavalny_kzn · Jul 14 Студент КФУ лишился красного диплома просто потому, что использовал в своей работе термин «путинизм». Ему поставили четверку и вручили обычный синий диплом. Главный университет Татарстана хорошо показал, как он готов кланяться нынешней власти в ножки.