Kremlin’s Three Preemptive Strikes against Non-Systemic Opposition
Kremlin’s Three Preemptive Strikes against Non-Systemic Opposition

Author(s): Stanislav Secrieru
Subject(s): Civil Society, Government/Political systems, Politics and society, Sociology of Politics
Published by: PISM Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych
Keywords: Russian Federation; Russian regime; parliamentary elections; rise of opposition in urban areas; public protests; disempowering urban centres;
Summary/Abstract: The survival of Russia’s political regime after the controversial parliamentary elections in 2011 is partially the result of the Kremlin’s efficient strategy to contain and preempt the emancipation of nonsystemic opposition. After several defeats in 2012–2013 in large cities, the authorities revamped efforts in 2014 to weaken the status of mayors in order to block the rise of opposition in urban areas. In the context of the 2015 economic crisis, the Kremlin has assembled a movement to intimidate and quash public protests orchestrated by opposition. In attempting to cement the regime until 2024, its leadership has cultivated bellicose patriotism aimed at reducing the recruitment pool for opposition. The prospects for Russian opposition are bleak unless it consolidates and retakes the initiative.

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