It led to an even bigger, and more contentious, March of Dissent in St. Petersburg on March 3, 2007. We had been denied permission to hold a rally, but over six thousand people defied the ban in the largest political protest of the Putin era up to that time. That sounds like nothing, I understand, but this was new and risky and it felt like a huge wave of energy. In democratic nations protests are routine, the kind of thing you might do for social reasons even if you don’t feel all that strongly. But coming into the streets in Russia was associated with upheaval and drama. It was a very big step for many of the participants to “radicalize” in this way, walking through OMON (paramilitary riot police) cordons and chanting “Russia Without Putin!”
— Winter is Coming (Garry Kasparov), Loc. 2688–93
With all the respect to Mr. Kasparov… it’s still pathetic. This system Russia has, it’s build by the Russians, nobody eĺse.