It's not that hard. He's pointing out that we think Russia's govt is oppressive.

In this instance, the UK seems fairly oppressive as well. That's the point of the comparison.

Of course you and I know that Russians have been restricted for so long that they are well conditioned to watch their speech. That's probably the true reason for the disparity. I don't know why you didn't point that out. Again, that's irrelevant to the discussion. People are being arrested for words. That's the point. You are arguing semantics. Why? I dont know but I'd be interested in the answer.