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100 (along with Belarus, Vietnam and The Gambia), also notes the country's continuing economic downturn in 2016 and the Kremlin's efforts to avoid potential domestic discontent by "focusing public attention on foreign interventions".
"Authorities continued incorporating Crimea into the administration of the Russian Federation, maintained support for separatist militants in eastern Ukraine, and expanded military support for Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria," the report added.
The authors also note the Russian authorities' continued steps to restrict the activities of civil society groups, including the Levada Centre polling company.
Russia's occupation of Crimea and military support for pro-Russian separatists in East Ukraine continued to have a negative as Ukraine continues to recover from the disorder that surrounded the ouster of Viktor Yanukovych from the presidency in 2014, according to Freedom House.
Meanwhile, the report also pointed out the Ukrainian authorities' failure to prosecute extensive high-level corruption and the little progress in meeting domestic and international demands to investigate and prosecute crimes committed during the last months of the Yanukovych administration in late 2013 and early 2014, which included the shooting of protesters.
Freedom House accorded Ukraine "Partly Free" status with 61 points in the ranking of 210 countries, which was led by Finland, Norway and Sweden with a full 100 points and ended with Syria as the only country with a negative freedom rating of -1.
2.3 World Bank doing business ranking
Russia advanced nine places to 40t h in the annual World Bank's Doing Business 2017 survey , improving from 51st place, according to the ranking published in October 25. However, according to the updated methodology, Russia's rank in 2016 survey has changed to from 50th to 36th, resulting in an actual decline of four positions. Belarus made the biggest jump in the region rising 13 places to 37t h and Ukraine moved only four places to 80t h .
Russia still met the goal set by President Vladimir Putin to enter the top 50 best countries to do business in, both in the 2016 and 2017 surveys. In September, Russia was ranked 43rd among 138 countries surveyed in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, climbing just two places since 2015.
While 137 countries made 283 reforms in regulating business activity since 2015, Russia only saw one major reform , the report noted: dealing with Construction Permits improved, albeit by only two places, and remaining in the tail of the ranking at 115th place.
7 RUSSIA Country Report February 2017 www.intellinews.com