For the adherents of liberal democracy, the news from Russia over the past few years have not been not rosy.

Twenty years ago they said that Russia put the interests of political reforms before economic reform themselves, but China, in contrast, began with reforms.

Many people, after the analysis of Fareed Zakaria’s work «The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad», thought that China’s way is more likely to lead to the development of medium class, civil society and, ultimately, democratic capitalism.

This point of view, no doubt, had the right to live.

But today, the 20th anniversary of the coup in Russia and the triumph of democracy in the face of Boris Yeltsin, Masha Lipman has some interesting thoughts, to tell «Washington Post» about the state of freedom in Russia.

She said that earlier hopes for the development of democracy have been replaced by Vladimir Putin with his “restructuring of the power and the restoration of state domination over society”.

This in turn led to the excommunication of the majority of citizens from participating in political life, but also led to corruption, nepotism and lawlessness. But there is good news “out of titles.”

Freedom from the individual pursuit remained aloof from politics since that time and this is one of the undoubted achievements of Russia during its post-communist development.

Putin’s government reinstated Soviet-style in the form of “political monopoly and the system of the “manual” control”, but at the same time, it does not infringe on individual rights.

Restrictions on entrepreneurship, artistic or scientific self-realization of people, as well as their lifestyle, that existed in the Soviet Union, have not been brought back to life.

If we consider the events of August 1991 as an act of people who had risen against the Communist realities for the protection of freedom, today’s personal freedom should be regarded as a significant achievement.

Another achievement of post-communist period is the formation and development of consumer society.

Though a significant number of Russians still have low incomes, but now they are incomparably greater than in the Soviet Union.

In Soviet times, frustrated consumers faced with chronic deficits and permanent queues.

After the events of August 1991 and the adoption of the policy of establishing a market economy, this cause of discontent of society (deficit) has been eliminated.

For today’s Russia, individual freedom and human development of the consumer society are self-evident things.

This is certainly good news, only after 20 years of the fall of communism.