followed, democracy failed to root itself in russia. that is partly because life became so tough here that in the eyes of many russians, the very concept of democracy became discredited. but it is also because for those running russia today, authoritarian rule is back in fashion. this year, the authorities cracked down hard on anti—government protests. and there have been police raids on government critics. so, where does that leave democracy? for many here a distant memory. this monument honours the three men killed in the 1991 coup. there are few visitors. there seems to be little interest in moment in history when russians embraced freedom. that's all for now —