September 24, 2021

Crackdown Ahead of Duma Elections, with Russian Opposition Member Dmitry Gudkov and Maria Snegovaya

By: Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Dmitri Gudkov and Maria Snegovaya

What does the Kremlin’s crackdown ahead of the recent Duma elections tell us about the current domestic political situation in Russia? Russian opposition leader Dmitri Gudkov and Maria Snegovaya, post-doctoral fellow in political science at Virginia Tech University, join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how the shrinking space for civil society in Russia demonstrates Vladimir Putin’s tightening grip over the country.

Dmitri Gudkov is a Russian opposition politician and a former deputy for A Just Russia, from which he was expelled after being elected to the Opposition Coordination Council. In 2014, he was one of the four deputies that did not approve the annexation of Crimea. In the beginning of 2021, he announced that he intended to run for the Russian parliament again, but he was prohibited from doing so.

Maria Snegovaya is a post-doctoral fellow in political science at Virginia Tech University and a visiting scholar at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University. Her research interests include party politics and political behavior, as well as Russia’s domestic and foreign policy.

More from CNAS

  • Podcast
    • November 13, 2024
    The Future of Russia and China in Central Asia

    Despite the many proclamations that Russian and Chinese interests would collide in Central Asia, Moscow and Beijing continue to work together in service of their shared object...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend

  • Podcast
    • October 25, 2024
    Russia and the Rise of BRICS

    This past Tuesday, Russia hosted a high-profile summit of the BRICS group in Kazan, Russia, demonstrating its growing determination to challenge the Western-led international ...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Kate Johnston

  • Podcast
    • October 17, 2024
    Brussels Sprouts Live: NATO in the American Heartland

    NATO marked its 75th anniversary this year – a testament to the strength and continued relevance of the alliance. Celebrations have been muted however, due to the ongoing conf...

    By Mark Newton, Anniken Huitfeldt, Maria Markowska, John Deni & Rebecca Moore

  • Podcast
    • October 10, 2024
    Russia in the Middle East with Jonathan Lord and Hanna Notte

    One year after the October 7 attacks by Hamas, the crisis in the Middle East has grown more and more complex. With the region teetering on the brink of broader conflict, the B...

    By Jonathan Lord, Hanna Notte, Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia