moving forward to the past

Quite alarming to see this happening. (Quite surprising that someone at CBC also appears alarmed!)

Russian regulators have forced more than 60 radio stations to stop broadcasting news reports produced by Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty...

The regulators cited license violations and unauthorized changes in programming format. But senior executives at the U.S.-government-funded broadcast services and at the stations blame the Kremlin for the crackdown...

In a country where the news media increasingly avoid controversial subjects, millions of Russians had made the broadcasts a listening staple.

Independent newspapers and radio stations continue to operate. But with their largest audiences in the country's two largest cities, their influence in national politics and voting is marginal.

At least they still broadcast to Ukraine. According to this Freedom House report, media freedom is improving there and other places like it. Meanwhile, Russia ranked 158 out of the 194 countries and territories assessed in the survey.

Who says Ukraine and other neighbouring countries shouldn't be worried about the return of Russian imperialism? The Russian ruling elite sure don't want a Rose or Orange type of revolution in their crumbling empire, er, country.