To be sure, the international community’s reticence seems to have had some effect. In response to growing criticism of Russian human rights violations, and seeking to pre-empt any more, Mr. Putin unexpectedly granted amnesty before Christmas for the former oil tycoon Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, two members of the punk band Pussy Riot and other political prisoners. These releases, however, should not be mistaken for harbingers of liberalization, since many opposition activists remain in jail.