Kicking the Kremlin

As 2011 came to a close, in what was a watershed moment, 100,000 took to Moscow s freezing streets to protest the election victory of United Russia Vladimir Putin s party amid widespread allegations of corruption and vote-rigging. A few months later, Pussy Riot hit headlines around the world when they were arrested following their anti-Putin demonstration in a Russian Orthodox cathedral. The vicious battle for Russia s soul continues to this day. In the first book to take the reader straight to the beating heart of the opposition movement, journalist and long-time Moscow resident Marc Bennetts introduces a new generation of Russian dissidents, united by their hatred of Putin and his bid to silence all political adversaries. We meet a bustling cast of urban youth working to expose the injustices of the regime and a disjointed bunch of dissenters from It Girl hipsters to 21st-century socialists. Featuring rare interviews with everyone from Pussy Riot and top protest leaders to Kremlin insiders, Bennetts compelling narrative is a high-octane account of the politics and subterfuge of modern-day Russia.