A blunt claim that Britain has become more censorious than Russia, bad news for anyone who assumes free speech is safe in Western democracies.

• Three times as many Britons are jailed over social media posts as Russians.
• British TV is available in Russia, while Russian TV is blocked in Britain.
• The argument is not a defense of Russia but a test of which country restricts speech more.
• The point rests on simple, checkable measures rather than political labels.

Outlook: Expect more fights over Britain's policing of online speech as arrests over posts keep drawing international attention.