I see and hear it all the time.....even here on HC....How do you...

I see and hear it all the time.....even here on HC....
How do you reckon you'd go in Putin's Russia today if the shoe was on the other foot and local punters were critical of him/their Govt/his War ? We all know the answer to that already...you'd probably end up locked up or 'disappeared'...crikey...you get dragged off the street there for holding up blank bits of paper in protest. Where have you been looking ?
'Everyone' knows about the Kremlin's Propaganda and Disinformation Machine, the nature of the beast and Putin/The Kremlin's censorship and tight control of the media in Russia-about 85% of Russians get their news from state media apparently.
By comparison the so called "West" has relatively free, open, diverse press/media and expression of opinion.....HC an example. There's just no contest. Which environment would you prefer/think best ?
I know which I'd prefer...sure the so called liberal democracies of the so called "West" aren't perfect but they're a helluva lot better than some of the oppressive alternatives (including Putin's Russia) I posit.