Recent protests in Russia underscored growing popular dissatisfaction in a country dominated for the past decade by the quasi-authoritarian rule of President (now Prime Minister) Vladimir Putin. TIME presents portraits of prominent dissidents and opposition figures in Russia, accompanied by their own words. Photos and testimonials (edited down by TIME) come via the Institute of Modern Russia, an organization sponsored by the family of jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Eco-activist
“The political elite is in bed with both Russian and foreign big business, and will further enrich itself using the country’s resources. Resources that are located far from Moscow – oil, gold, diamonds – will remain under the control of this handful of people… Ordinary citizens are our only hope because all the state institutions will degrade and turn into smokescreens. More and more people will be convinced that the state has no future.”
