He also said he would back business organizations claiming...
Russia?s President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia would decide itself how to develop democracy.
Furthermore, he pledged to take drastic measures aimed at ?any unlawful methods of struggle?. He also said he would back business organizations claiming that the tax authorities had no right to terrorize them.
Implying on sharp Western criticism that he is backsliding on democracy, Putin said, ?Russia itself will decide the pace, terms and conditions of moving towards democracy.?
But he added that this was possible only through legal means, the Reuters news agency reported. ?Any unlawful methods of struggle ... for ethnic, religious and other interests contradict the principles of democracy. The state will react to such attempts with legal, but tough, means.?
He added that Russians should be encouraged to bring their undeclared earnings home rather than hide them away in offshore accounts.
