The Other Russia (Russian: Другая Россия Drugaya Rossiya), sometimes cited as Another Russia, is an umbrella coalition that gathered opponents of former President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The coalition brings together representatives from a wide variety of political and human rights movements, national-bolsheviks and Communist groups (though the Communist Party of the Russian Federation is conspicuously absent), as well as individual citizens.
The group includes both left and right-wing opposition leaders as well as mainstream liberals such as former world chess champion and United Civil Front leader Garry Kasparov, National Bolshevik Party leader Eduard Limonov, and the far-left Vanguard of Red Youth.[1][2]
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The Other Russia was formed during a constitutional meeting on July 11-July 12, 2006, (during the G8 summit) in Moscow. Western diplomats, including British Ambassador to Russia Anthony Brenton, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Barry Lowenkron, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried, were attending the conference. The two main liberal parties, Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces, were boycotting the event over the participation of what they consider to be nationalist and extremist groups.[3]
During the summer of 2006, the society prepared a "coalition of national harmony", designed to accumulate common positions among its members. Work on several agenda items are discussed in specialized work groups. The final text was presented for a general discussion at a meeting on November 22, 2006. On September 25, 2006, The Other Russia was declared a "national forum".
On December 16, 2006, the first joint political rally took place in Moscow, named "March of the Discontented". The name was first used by Garry Kasparov in 2005. Later, on March 3, 2007, the next "March of the Discontented" took place in Saint Petersburg, which was the largest opposition rally made in recent years in Russia.
A further "March of the Discontented" took place on April 14, 2007 in Moscow. Several people, including Garry Kasparov and former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, were arrested, but released some hours later. Another rally was held on April 15 in Saint Petersburg.
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