The electronic media were routinely critical of the authorities, but were owned by a handful of people and depended on their owners’ taste, interests, and fate. Yeltsin’s handover of power to Putin, like a king with his dauphin, tells us more about his regime than almost anything else.
但俄罗斯向他人及其自身展示的形象却极大地扭曲了。议会生气勃勃，但根本毫无权力。电子媒体对于各主管当局照例很关键，但为少数人所拥有，其作用取决于拥有者的品味、兴趣和命运。叶利钦将权力移交给普京，如同国王将王位传给皇太子一样，这比任何东西更能说明其政权的实质。