Bending with the wind Created to co-opt urban voters, this minority party’s wartime struggles expose how little space remains for opposition politics in Russia

Bending with the wind Created to co-opt urban voters, this minority party’s wartime struggles expose how little space remains for opposition politics in Russia

In September 2021, the New People party won enough votes to claim seats in the lower house of Russia’s parliament, despite being founded just 18 months earlier. For the first time in 15 years, five parties secured representation in the State Duma instead of the usual four. Created with the Kremlin’s backing, New People was designed to attract the liberal urban electorate. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the party has clung to its …