Duma - Raam op Rusland

The elections serve the regime's legality, no more, no less

It's the Russian regime which needs the vote. It won't change the balance of power or the lawmaking in the Duma. The elections serve to give the regime legitimacy and to reassure the apathetic masses that they are still the majority.

by Andrei Kolesnikov
Two cheers, maybe, for Putin’s ‘January Revolution’?

Putin's proposals to change the constitution and the powerstructure puzzle all analysts in East and West. According to Mark Galeotti, to leave the position of super-president to someone else is a very dangerous legacy. So maybe trying to diversify power, willingly or un-willingly, might in the end be a step forward for Russian politics.

by Mark Galeotti
Russians can make a difference in Sunday's elections: by staying at home

The Duma is a rubber stamp parliament and the elections of September 18 are rigged. Still there is one thing the Kremlin is worried about: what
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Молодежь в России: добровольно несвободнa

Почему Путин даже среди русской молодежи крайне популярный? Культурный критик Андрей Архангельский объясняет их двойную мораль.
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The Russian Protest Movement: Not Dead, Not Alive, Just Different

by Yekaterina Schulmann

There are two widespread misconceptions about protest activity in Russia. The first is that, for
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