Russia Goes Really Retro

In recent years, there have been concerns internationally that Russia is returning to the Soviet police state of Joseph Stalin.  But forget Soviet -- recent evidence has come to light that an old Czarist mechanism is being deployed on protesters near the Sochi Olympics. It seems that a couple members of the Russian pop group Pussy Riot were in Sochi making a new video about the abuses of the Russian prison system when police officers calling themselves "The New Kochik Militia" descended upon them. For those who don't know, the Cossacks were the old secret police of the Czar, and they were mainly used to purge Jews and other ethnic minorities from Russia. But these days, they're apparently being used, once again, to horse whip and stomp peaceful protesters. I'm not kidding, folks. Go check the video out for yourself. It's sad, I'm beginning to wonder if Russia will ever know true freedom. Given the recent developments, I'm not so sure.