It's pro-authoritarian. That means this control is not really a contradiction. They say they're leftist, but I think it'd be hard to actually justify that based on the groups they support. Russia isn't leftist. The USSR may have been, but it's long gone. Russia is anti-LGBT+ and doesn't protect workers. It's an oligarchy.

There are only two consistent things they follow. They're pro-authoritarian and anti-west.