The share of Russians approving TV censorship was reported to have grown according to 2005 research by VCIOM from 63% to 82%. However, sociologists believe this statistic is misleading as Russians were voting for the expulsion of ethically dubious material such as sex scenes as opposed to press freedom suppression. Putin organised a conference specifically for history teachers in June 2007 to promote a high-school teachers manual called A Modern History of Russia: 1945-2006. This manual portrayed Joseph Stalin as a cruel but at the same time successful leader. Putin hoped that the new manual would “help instill young people with a sense of pride in Russia” and the President argued that Stalin’s purges weren’t miniscule compared with the USA’s atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Putin openly spoke out in favour of a longer presidential term in Russia in a 2007 interview with newspaper journalists from G8 countries. Putin said to the journalists “a term of five, six or seven years in office would be entirely acceptable”. My goodness, I don’t think mr16 led bulbs would approve of that!