Ilya Yashin, who has spent his entire adult life in politics, is one of the Moscow protest movement’s most experienced leaders. Tomorrow he turns 29.
Moscow
Happy Birthday, Viktor Tsoi
My first visit to Moscow in 1991 was a trip into a surreal world. Amid so much strangeness, I was hardly surprised to discover that the Soviet Union’s greatest rock star was, like me, half Korean.
Between the Present and the Future
Despite police raids on the homes of protest leaders, a new law raising fines for demonstrators and violence at the last big rally, tens of thousands of Muscovites once again took to the streets to vent their anger with Vladimir Putin.
Inauguration in a Ghost Town
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.
Tina Turner, Deep Purple Play Kremlin at Gazprom Birthday Bash
When Tina Turner asked the audience: “Is everybody all right?” her question was met with silence. Most of the guests were middle-aged managers who remained in their seats during the show.
The Middle Class Malaise
The closest I came to becoming a socialist was when I was a teenager growing up in the U.S. Midwest in the 1980s. I first had to move to Russia to grasp the folly of socialism and reclaim my middle-class roots.
Moscow Style Claims New Fashion Victims
Even Russian men, whose clothing choice was once limited to polyester business suits or polyester jogging suits, have become fussy dressers. Local trends in men’s fashion have developed in mysterious directions: pointy elf shoes or the male purse.
Demise of ‘Last Mohican’ Cements Medvedev Win Over Local Bosses
Yury Luzhkov’s ouster after 18 years as mayor of Moscow completes Russia’s purge of independent regional leaders begun during Vladimir Putin’s presidency.
Interview with a Bucket
Pyotr Shkumatov’s street antics have stumped traffic policemen and made the rest of Moscow laugh. “This isn’t about the middle class,” he says. “It’s generational.”
The Beginning of the End
Don’t worry about Moscow’s protest movement. Worry about how Vladimir Putin plans to hang on for another six years without the support of the capital.
