Late Sunday evening, members of the Open Russia Movement elected me to be their chairman.  I am very grateful to my colleagues for their support. I am confident that I will be able to live up to not only their trust, but also that of all members of our movement.

I have been a part of Open Russia since its inception. With the help of my friends, we were able to create a truly excellent and active team in St. Petersburg, and we will now do our best with all of our accumulated experience to strengthen the position of the movement on a nationwide level. Now, in the wake of these so-called elections, Open Russia has the opportunity to provide not just an alternative vision for society, but real active participation in educational and human rights projects, in municipal elections and public campaigns throughout all of Russia.

In order to liberate ourselves from the current unfortunate situation, we must promote civil projects and offer assistance to new and upcoming leaders, especially in the areas outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg — this is what will allow us to change the situation in which we find ourselves. For me this will continue to be our main project, which we began in St. Petersburg through municipal elections, and I hope that we will be able to bring our wealth of experience to the regional and federal level. Come join us at Open Russia, it will certainly be interesting!