ABSTRACT
Since Vladimir Putin’s ascent to the Russian presidency in 2000 there have been major shifts in the political and cultural scene in Russia, notably the implementation of an increasingly authoritarian regime that is regarded by the domestic opposition and foreign observers as undemocratic. Since the 2008 global nancial crisis, economic growth has slowed and President Putin’s public approval ratings have fallen. In 2015, the Russian economy was predicted to enter recession. The Russian government published a document detailing their revised guidelines for action in mid-May 2015 listing the three main challenges facing Russia as being a global dive in the price of commodities such as oil, gas and metals, sanctions imposed by the West following the crisis in the Ukraine and an aging population.1
