Understanding Sociopolitical Engagement of Society in Russia: A View from Yaroslavl Oblast and Tatarstan

The article explores recent developments in the non-electoral sociopolitical engagement of society in contemporary Russia. Referring to the concepts of political opportunity structure and framing, it considers existing coping strategies that represent alternatives to disengagement — a shift from higher-level political issues to social or local problems and engagement through state-controlled structures — in terms of their role in the development of civil society. The analysis, embedded in the regional context of Tatarstan and Yaroslavl Oblast, points to the limitations and merits of both forms of participation, arguing why, despite their inferiority to unrestricted independent activism, they should not be dismissed.