They cannot be called anything resembling The Magnificent Seven. What currently links Russia closely with Afghanistan, Venezuela, Pakistan, the Philippines, Egypt and Lebanon?

The U.S. State Department says these nations are among the worst offenders in terms of curbing media freedom. The assessment came after the U.S. human rights watchdog Freedom House released its annual report, which noted that more than 110 journalists were killed worldwide during 2006, “making it the bloodiest year on record for journalism.”

Russia was singled out for “aggressive efforts” by its government to further marginalize independent media voices and regulate the Internet. The murder of crusading Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was one of the latest travesties of Russian officialdom headed by Vladimir Putin. Politkovskaya was gunned down in an elevator in her apartment, apparently by a contract killer, after a long record of criticizing the Putin government.

One such death might be questionable, but there has been a long series of killings in Russia with the victims noted for opposing the government and its policies. Putin has steadfastly declined to launch any probes of such activity as he continues to accumulate the kind of power that totalitarian leaders celebrate.

It is by no means surprising that the other six nations are listed in the Freedom House report. They long have been notorious for their anti-freedom approaches to the media. It is appropriate that Russia finally is being formally listed among this group.

Russia’s Putin for all his alleged achievements as president is a two-faced operator who pursues his old secret police policies while publicly presenting a face of tolerance and progress.

For the most part, Russia could easily be labeled the most unmagnificent of the seven because Putin and Co. work so hard to depict themselves otherwise.