http://www.euractiv.com/global-europe/putin-medvedev-seal-power-sharin-news-507903
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-puppet-president-medvedev-s-betrayal-of-russian-democracy-a-789767-2.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-09/24/c_131158004.htm
Putin is dictating what he wants and everybody is following him.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-12-29/2015-the-year-of-the-putin-dictatorship
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/13/new-model-dictator-putin-sisi-erdogan/
ok, if you're so convinced by these articles to be more right than me by living here for 20+ years - there's no reason to argue. And all my friends and relatives living here as well, and their friends etc... If you think you know better than all these people and their summary opinion- ok. you win have fun reading all other stuff
Russia is surely not a dictatorship, at least as of now. Putin is evidently not dictating, but this is not because he can't (i.e. doesn't have the power), but since he is not that type of a person. Despite that, I don't think there is much room for debate about whether he would turn into one if he wanted to...