MOSCOW, Jul 7 The ruling elites in the West began to use despotism in their politics, including censorship and prohibitions in public life, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. «Today, the ruling elites are in front of our eyes increasing the degree of manipulation of public consciousness. The ruling classes of Western countries … realizing that their policies are increasingly divorced from reality, from common sense, from the truth, they began to use frankly despotic methods,» Putin said at a meeting with the leaders of the factions of the State Duma. He added that today in the West totalitarianism is censorship, the closure of the media, arbitrariness against journalists and public figures. «This practice of bans applies not only to the information space, but also on politics, culture, education, art. On all spheres of public life,» Putin said. Russia's attempts to conduct a dialogue were ignored, Putin said
