Starting the Campaign
The United Russia Party hosted primaries ahead of the September 2016 parliamentary elections. The primaries will result in significant changes in the party nomination list because the current list of party members was put together by the previous leadership of the Presidential Administration, and the Kremlin wants to make significant alterations. The party itself has almost no say in the process because the Administration is profoundly dissatisfied with its ability to stimulate vertical rotation and attract new leaders.
The Democratic Coalition opposition parties failed in its primaries by unintentionally disclosing personal details of its supporters voting online. The only party left in the coalition cannot attract supporters, and with the failure of the primaries, it can hardly hope to achieve any significant success in the elections.
Russia has changed its Ukraine policy by clearly demonstrating its willingness to cooperate. A prisoner exchange, a change of rhetoric and other indicators of a new policy indicate that Russia is willing to decrease tensions in order to make Eastern Ukraine Kyiv’s liability and yet preserve its influence on the breakaway region.
Despite economic hardships, Russians have been more actively spending their free time outside the home. While traditional social interactions such visiting or hosting friends are still popular, Russians have started going to movies twice as often as just a few years ago.
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