a parliament, there is the russian dumas. it really exists in name only. it is basically an extension of vladimir putin. and yes, technically, there's a judiciary in russia but also in name only. it is just an extension of russian president vladimir putin. and yes, technically, barely, but technically there are elections in russia but that fiction does not really extend to in name only at this point, since putin just declared opposition candidacies and opposition parties to be illegal. so, the people of russia, today are remarkably ill served by they are increasingly isolated, aging dictator, who has over 20 years in power under his belt already. he has no plan for a successor. and apparently he has no plan to release russia from the suffocating hole that he has on that beleaguered country and the fates of its hundred 44 million people. he has reduced his country to