Ilya Yashin’s evolution from protest leader to persecuted dissident mirrors the metamorphosis of Putin’s “managed democracy” into a totalitarian state.
Yashin
Political Exile, A Centuries-Old Russian Tradition, Returns
“That was my personal Halloween, when I found myself in the U.S. with just a suitcase, and I had no idea where to go next,” Anastasiya Popova said.
Take Me to Your Leader
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.
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.
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.
The Politics of Fear
Politics is human speech. Fear is an animal instinct. In Moscow, fear is taking the place of politics.
A Hot Winter’s Day in Moscow
Biting cold and visible cracks in the motley protest movement dampened expectations. But the massive turnout gave the demonstrators new momentum in the run-up to the presidential election.
The Putin Paradox
The Putin Paradox holds that the former KGB agent is the best leader Russia could hope for in the transition from communism to democracy.
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.
