Episode 1: Russian Protests and Evolving US-Russia Relations

Expert Opinions: Russia, Eurasia

On March 2, 2017, Russian anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalny released a report and video accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of massive corruption, and calling Russians to the streets on March 26. The Russian authorities, who remained silent about the accusations, did not issue permits for the protests, but tens of thousands of people took to the streets all over Russia anyway, leading to the largest protests the country has seen since 2012. Why did so many people turn out, why did so few see it coming, and what will happen next?