The Russian Federation -- formed in 1991 after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) -- is yet to see democracy in its true form, say several geopolitical experts. The first President of the Russian Federation, Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin, did attempt to steer the country towards becoming a thriving democracy but his reforms were slammed as being "too moderate". Nonetheless, he managed to transition Russia into a multi-party representative democracy. However, with Vladimir Putin assuming the charge of Prime Minister in 1999 and later becoming the Russian President in 2000, the country returned to being an "authoritarian state".

Since early times, the fear of external invasion and internal subversion due to the country's long frontiers have tilted Russians towards strong leaders. The country has a history of supporting the regimes which offer them security from attack at the price of democracy. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine tensions, according to some experts, are also helping Putin fuel the fear of a looming war among Russians, thus giving him a chance to further strengthen his grip over the country.

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin):

Better known by his alias Lenin, Ulyanov was the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1924 and of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1924. Under his rule, the country became a one-party socialist state. His political ideology -- Leninism -- proposed the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party. While people from one school of thought view him as a champion of socialism and the working class, the other faction accuses him of establishing a totalitarian dictatorship, ordering mass killings, and streamlining political repression.

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin: He was made the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1922. After Lenin died in 1924, Stalin started governing the country as part of a collective leadership. However, he consolidated power to become the Soviet Union's dictator by the 1930s. He made the Soviet Union a centralised command economy. Stalin is infamous for instituting the Great Purge (or Terror) to silence his political rivals and eradicate the "enemies of the working class". Between 1934 and 1939, he imprisoned millions of people and got at least 7,00,000 people executed. However, like Lenin, Stalin is also seen as a champion of the working class and socialism by many. He ruled the Soviet Union until his death in 1953.

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev: His term as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union lasted 18 years (1964–1982), second only to Stalin. Brezhnev served in the Red Army as a major general during World War II and was promoted to Communist Party's central committee after the war. Brezhnev was among those who played an instrumental role in instituting the Great Purge during Stalin's regime. After assuming the top post in 1964, he also ruled the country with an iron fist. Brezhnev ended the liberalising reforms of his predecessor Nikita Khrushchev and clamped down on cultural freedom. Under Brezhnev's rule, the KGB -- security agency for the Soviet Union -- was given a free run to ensure that there was no political opposition against him. However, his health started deteriorating after 1975 and he died in 1982 while in office.

Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov: After Brezhnev's death in 1982, Andropov was made the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Even though Andropov died of kidney failure in 1984, his short tenure of less than two years witnessed several events -- including crushing the Prague Spring and suppressing opposition -- which cemented his image as a strongman. Contemporary authors and journalists have described him as "ruthless against dissent". He believed that "the struggle for human rights" was a part of a plot "to undermine the foundation of the Soviet state". In his last few months, Andropov ran a campaign to eliminate all opposition in the USSR.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin: In 2020, Putin changed theconstitution, resetting his term as Russian president. He held the post of Russian President between 2000 and 2008, took the position of Prime Minister from 2008 to 2012, and is now expected to rule the nation till 2036 as the president. He is on the path to becoming the longest-reigning ruler in Russia’s modern history. Besides ensuring a long king-like tenure, Putin has also been using the country's laws to punish its opponents. Under his regime, human rights violations by the Russian state make up for one-fourth of all cases in the European Court of Human Rights. Putin has nationalised large parts of the economy and taken a hard stand on same-sex relationships by making gay marriage a punishable offence. The media is heavily regulated and criticism of the regime is not appreciated. In 2017, US President Joe Biden (then Vice President, Democratic Party) had even referred to Putin as a "dictator". However, Putin continues to enjoy the support of a large section of the Russian population and remains the strongman they admire.

(Edited by : Thomas Abraham)