Introduction

The idea of this book was to a great extent inspired by the dynamics of the Russian political system starting from December 2011 that surprised many analysts who believed in the stability of the regime created by President Vladimir Putin and in an inherent passivity of the Russian citizens. Recently, both assumptions have proved to be wrong. Civil society groups in Russia want their voices to be heard, which has made the regime launch important transformations – obviously not as radical as the opposition would like to see them, but nevertheless moving Russia towards more pluralism and a more open public sphere. It seems that Russia is today on its way to more thoroughgoing political and social reforms, which has inspired foreign observers to predict the end of the Putin era in the near future. Russia, therefore, after a relatively stable and uneventful decade, has again become a research puzzle, a situation that requires due reflection by Russia’s neighbours and key international partners.