The elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation that took place in September 2021, became one of the two most significant events in the political life of Russia after the wave of protests in 2010-2012, and to analyse the current political situation I need to start with a short commentary on the events that led to the anti-Putin demonstrations in 2011-2012.

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                                                          Split in the Moscow Kremlin

The wave of protests that began to rise in Russia in 2010, was caused mostly by the sharp increase in corruption and the world economic crisis of 2008-2010, but its main catalyst were the presidential elections scheduled for 2012. After the end of Dmitry Medvedev’s term as the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin decided to return into the Moscow Kremlin.

Many people disliked that Putin’s decision, including Medvedev himself, but that decision was disliked by Medvedev’s inner circle that had already felt a taste of the Kremlin’s power and had already formed a new clan, “medvedevtsy” – the Medvedev’s men.
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