On a near daily basis, news from critical voices suffering from ongoing oppression reaches us from Russia. The repressive climate under Putin's rule only seems to be getting worse. The recent murder of Boris Nemtsov is a testament to the worsening state of Russia's political climate. Recently, a lot of attention has been drawn to Russia's foreign policy, but what about the internal situation? What about the country's freedom, its democracy and the rule of law? Why does Putin enjoy so much support from the Russian population?

These questions amongst others were discussed with one of Russia's opposition leaders, Gennady Gudkov, who told us more about the democratic opposition and its plans. Gudkov is known as one of Putin's most vocal and charismatic critics. With him, many of Putin's critics have slowly but surely been removed from the Russian assembly, the State Duma.

Other panel members were Russia-expert Tony van der Togt (Clingendael) and PhD-candidate Honorata Mazepus (Universiteit Leiden), who addressed the current situation in Russia.

The Foundation Max van der Stoel (FMS) was formed in 2013 by the merge between the Alfred Mozer Foundation and the Evert Vermeer Foundation. FMS strives for the social democratic value of international solidarity within three areas: democracy, development and dialogue.

For a video impression of the debate, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25gbhyfJPaw&feature=youtu.be