🇷🇺 Russia: Politics & Democracy
By V-Dem's measure, no — Russia scores 5.6 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range.
Current leaders
Vladimir Putin
Head of State
Mikhail Mishustin
Head of Government
Democracy trend
Upcoming elections
2026 Russian legislative election
2026-09-20T00:00:00ZVoting alignment
Russia's closest UN General Assembly voting partners since 1946:
Frequently asked questions
Is Russia a democracy?
By V-Dem's measure, no — Russia scores 5.6 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range. It ranks #162 of 179 countries in 2025.
Is democracy in Russia improving or declining?
Russia's V-Dem liberal democracy score has declined by 5.3 points over the past decade, standing at 5.6 in 2025 (1-year change: −0.1).
Who leads Russia?
Vladimir Putin is Russia's head of state; Mikhail Mishustin serves as head of government.
When is the next election in Russia?
2026 Russian legislative election is scheduled for 2026-09-20T00:00:00Z.