Sergei Kiselev, Political Analyst from Yaroslavl, and former Kennan Institute conference participant, describes in detail how in the context of rising political competition, the 2013 elections deviated from the power hierarchy script in the largest Russian cities (Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and Krasnoyarsk), while the regions stuck to it. In the regions, this included clearing the electoral playing field, mass acceptance of spoiler candidates and technological gimmicks, and the erosion of the protest vote. The unexpected results of 27% of the vote for Navalny in Moscow and the victory of the “Civic Platform” candidate, E. Roizman, in Yekaterinburg suggest that there is a new political class in Russia. These "angry, awakened citizens" and the "creative" and "post-industrial" class form a "new political force." 

Kiselev's full analysis, in Russian, is available below.