Russia’s (cancelled) ecological referenda
Andras Toth-Czifra reports on recent grassroots attempts to stage regional ecological referenda and looks into how these are affecting power dynamics in Russia
Civil society
When we all become “foreign agents”
Ivan Davydov explains the Kremlin’s addiction to targeting “foreign agents”
“Fem-fanatics” and “Gender-Neutral Devils”: Russia’s Public Sphere Responds to Woke Culture
Ella Rossman reflects on the “new ethics” firing up the Russian public sphere
The tragedy of politics as normal: the meaning of the protests in Khabarovsk
In Russia’s Far East, a false state clashes with a doomed civil society, writes Ivan Davydov
When Autocrats Fail, Civil Society Steps Up
Sofya Orlosky on how in the absence of effective state responses, civic groups in Belarus, Russia, and Azerbaijan are tackling the COVID-19 pandemic
Sometimes, even Russia’s protesters can win
Ivan Davydov considers why and how protests against political repressions sometimes work
Putin vs Zhukov: Two Views on Civic Responsibility
Olesya Zakharova on how a young Russian student is reframing his president’s ideas of civic responsibility
The Golunov Case: How A Small Victory Made Big Waves
Ivan Davydov reflects on the success of the recent campaign to free the Russian journalist, and the authorities’ response
An Unholy Mess In Yekaterinburg
Ivan Davydov on the protest in Yekaterinburg and the institutional legitimacy crisis
How Russia’s Immortal Regiment Was Brought To Life
Mikhail Nemtsev considers how this movement grew from a commemoration of fallen ancestors to a new public tradition centred around expressing patriotism
Here’s What Russians Really Think About Gender (In)equality
Ekaterina Borozdina and Margarita Zavadskaya ask whether, and how, views on gender relations are changing in Russia today
Komsomol 2.0
Stanislav Andreychuk on the Russian authorities’ attempts to control the country’s youth