Vladimir Putin is not a loved president, he’s a default president. Just because he has managed to check off the boxes “nomination,” “election” and “inauguration,” doesn’t mean he’s home free.
Gorbachev
An Agent for Change from the KGB
Like Vladimir Putin, Gennady Gudkov spent his formative years serving in the KGB. Today he is one of the most outspoken government critics.
Wall of Fear
I was 17 years old when I first saw the Berlin Wall. I clambered up an observation platform in West Berlin to peer over to the Brandenburg Gate. Two summers later, I was back. Everything had changed.
A Russian Fairy Tale for Christmas
This Christmas, Russians stopped fearing their government. In a collective suspension of disbelief, ordinary citizens watched cultural figures, civic activists and even a former finance minister attack the political edifice that Vladimir Putin spent 12 years building.
Perestroika’s Children Come of Age
The iPhone, the ultimate consumer attribute of an open society, clashed with Vladimir Putin’s closed political system. It was the contradiction between free global citizen and disenfranchised Russian subject that drove young Muscovites to take to the street.
