Is the image we see the real Russia, or is there another one that seeks understanding and coexistence with the West and the rest of humanity, away from imperial delusions? This is a question that resides in the minds and thoughts of many. The answer is affirmative, with the note that these circles have been and remain a minority both within the Russian leadership and in Russian society.

However, it is worth getting to know them, to see how they think, how they approach their position and role in the life of humanity. At the same time, it may be an appropriate opportunity for a realistic approach to Russian reality, its contradictions and oppositions, its aspirations and disappointments, and how the Russians themselves view things...

In the pages that follow, the reader will encounter opinions and views from many different people. Many of these are opposing each other, yet this enhances their value, because through diversity, the emergence of a different, perhaps more realistic, image of Russian society in the first two decades of the 21st century becomes possible.

The voices heard in this book are voices of anxiety; they are voices that carry the eternal and unchanging demand of Russian society for freedom. They are voices of people who have experienced almost all the major changes in their homeland, who had hopes that were tragically dashed by events, yet continue to fight the good fight for a better tomorrow.