When Putin says that he “never does his friends in,” this is because he is afraid to get on the wrong side of the siloviki who are close to him. From the correspondence between the editors and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, inmate of Correctional Facility 7 of the Federal Penitentiary Service Directorate for the Republic of Karelia, the city of Segezha

Granted, Putin has been working hard all these years. No, not like a "galley slave". But, for example, on the the mysterious Olympia yacht, allegedly presented by Roman Abramovich. So now Putin and his entourage are protecting not an abstract power, but a way of life that is unparalleled anywhere else in the world.

December 2011 saw a change in the social and political situation in Russia. Society has awakened and is declaring its rights. Initially, the authorities had hoped to wait out the protests, but it soon became clear that that would not work and the storm would not just “blow over.” It was necessary to respond. There was probably a temptation to resort to the use of force, as before, but reason has prevailed. The authorities chose instead to maneuver, describing the massive protests as evidence of a mature democracy

For some reason, Vladimir Putin’s electoral rating published by the Levada Centre (37%) is thought to be catastrophically low. And yet it is the highest mark since at least July 2011, when a mere 23% of respondents said they would vote for Putin...

We won’t even address the fairness of those suspicions of Prokhorov being a spoiler candidate, only a much more significant one than Dmitry Mezentsev. But not the whole electorate of Yavlinsky is ready to vote for Prokhorov, Mironov or Zyuganov. Many of them just won’t go vote at all, and a low voter turn-out that increases Putin’s chances of winning without having a run-off election...

The political reforms that President Dmitry Medvedev has announced and that have now been outlined in two pieces of legislation already presented to the State Duma are the chief reply of the “government” to the demands of the “angrycitizens.” By protesting against rigged elections, the people are demanding what in the end people demand from authoritarian regimes: political rights. What did this reply consist of exactly?

Medvedev invites “active people” to his “open” office, while civil society replies that it’s too late for that. It’s you that should come meet us...

This is the election campaign platform of our Tsar, our father, the man who allocates everything to everyone himself. This is the manual operation platform. As Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov admitted, there’s a reason why the prime minister put the platform together in writing. Staying in line with this logic, he is going to take care of civil servants and retirees, his backbone of support, with his own two hands...

Talk online about the Constitution is taking people away from the slogan of fighting for honest elections to the slogan of being against the country’s autocratic government. People are now speaking out not just against United Russia and Putin, but against the constitutionally enshrined institutional system that has made the phenomenon that is Putin possible. So what is being proposed in place of the “autocratic government”?

The President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev sits down with Novaya Gazeta Editor-in-Chief Dmitry Muratov

The rain came pouring down on the thousands in the crowd at the Solidarity movement’s protest rally at Chistoprudny Boulevard. “I hope that after this protest, the phrase ‘it’s raining like cats and United Russia’ will become part of the language. United Russia, no doubt, has gone to the dogs,” said critically acclaimed writer and journalist Dmitry Bykov.

“Seeing as how my image is everywhere on television, my appearance in the ring caused people to get somewhat disgruntled. That’s completely possible and absolutely fine.” Vladimir Putin Everything is just fine and dandy with...

Prokhorov is coming roaring back on his Yo-Mobil into big time Russian politics, and this time he is a presidential candidate. And even if he himself came up with this idea, no one believes in the pure and voluntary nature of his intent. Much more serious hints are being made that Alexei Kudrin, the long-time keeper of liberal economic traditions, will be jumping into politics. And not through the higher levels of power, but from the bottom up...

“Putin is a crook! Putin is a crook!” the protesters chanted half heartedly. Journalists caught up to Viktor Biryukov, head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department in Moscow for Interaction with Civil Society, by the base of the Karl Marx monument. Biryukov was busy trying to deflect a flood of criticism from civil society...

I wandered around vast space of Botonaya Square through the tight rows of people, easily joined in on conversations and everywhere felt the same thing: disdain for those who rigged the elections and joyful confidence in freedom and victory...