I would argue that Venezuela is not very democratic, now, but Hugo Chavez was originally elected democratically. I suspect this is referring to actions to undermine his government at the time.
Pretty much like Putin or Lukashenka. Both were elected democratically in the first run. The problem is, they stayed in power long after their democratic mandate expired.
Very easy to be popular when you control the media and can just have the opposition poisoned. Stalin was (and to some people still is!) overwhelmingly popular.
Its amazing to me that Americans are so eager to point out Russia's poisoning of dissenters, yet choose to clearly ignore the chemical lobotomy that has been dished out to Assange while he is in one of the Wests' most heinous of all torture chambers.
HM Prison Belmarsh? I’m no fan of the U.K. government, especially because they didn’t even bother to tell Sweden he had been removed from the embassy even though Sweden’s existing case was why he was in there in the first place, but Belmarsh is neither a torture chamber nor even remotely comparable to e.g. Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
The people always get the governments they deserve.
Putin hasn't been removed - democratically or by violent coup - simply because he is popular with the people who have chosen to be ruled by him.
This doesn't align with the two minutes hate narrative that the West want to use in order to justify its direct interference in Russian democracy - in a sovereign country - so a lot of noise is made to occlude this fact and justify the usurpation of Russian politics.