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Russian Life

Weapons of the Weak

We Do Not Know the Country We Live In*

Oleg Klimov

• 22 min read
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“Oh, don’t ask me anything, I’m so nervous. Once I get on stage, I’ll tell you everything about myself. I’ll sing for you — and you’ll learn everything about me and my life,” Lyudmila replies
“Oh, don’t ask me anything, I’m so nervous. Once I get on stage, I’ll tell you everything about myself. I’ll sing for you — and you’ll learn everything about me and my life,” Lyudmila replies.

“Civil society” differs from what might be called “non-civic society” above all in the degree of people’s freedom, their independence from the state, and their ability to influence the life of their own country.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia attempted to build a civil society — with independent media, public organizations, political competition, private initiative, and the right of citizens to take part in governing their own country. That attempt failed.