As Russia goes dark, Vladimir Putin could be taking cues from Kim Jong Un on how to quash dissent

Putin moved to crack down on dissent after anti-war protests were held in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters: Evgenia Novozhenina)

Three decades after the repressive Soviet Union fell and then-leader Mikhail Gorbachev declared the country was opening up to the world, Russia has come full circle.

Determined to recapture the glory days of the USSR, President Vladimir Putin has been steadily winding back the clock on the country's fledgling democracy.