Masha Gessen

I have come pretty much full circle, from optimistic to despairing. I've sold my home and left the country, which is a clear indication..The potential for anything constructive decreases with every passing day. I think there's something that happens to people living in a country in a state of political crackdown. It will take a very long time to recover..It's like the country's brain chemistry has changed. We're very, very damaged. Show less «

Garry Kasparov, the chess champion, is one of the best thinkers about the state of Russia, and he's been saying for years that Putin has been so dominant in Russia that the first thing that needs to happen is for his regime to be destroyed - not because he's so bad, but because of the consequences of his regime. He's destroyed the electoral system. Russians cannot have any discussion of their issues. They have no common ground for a conversation. Show less «

[on the 'show-trial' antics occurred in court] The defense lawyers were just bizarre. I think they underwent their own evolution during the trial. Their entire political experience had been getting a few kids out if administrative arrest. They had almost no courtroom experience, because there's no courtroom experience to be had in Russia. The courts are so corrupt that nothing really goes on in them except rubber-stamping the prosecution's claims and its sentencing requests. So it went to the lawyers' heads, being in the media spotlight and having a chance to speak. It didn't make them any better or smarter. Show less «

[on 'Pussy Riot'] They are very much a creation. But I set out to write about their action in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour' when they took over the altar and sang 'Punk Prayer: Mother of God Drive Putin Away'. Not that I think it has the best lyrics or the best staging. What made it the apogee of their work as an art collective was the way it shook Russia, and the risks they took as well. No, they're not musicians, but a piece of performance art is best judged by its consequences and by its reception. You can't look at it as a thing in itself and not look at the audience reaction. It is why the cathedral performance is a great work of art, because a great work of art should be jarring for its culture. Show less «

[on returning to America, 2014] We moved because of the new anti-gay laws in Russia. Basically, we had reason to fear the legislation that may pass this year will cause social services to go after our three kids, that gay parents won't be allowed to retain custody. That's an unacceptable risk to us. Show less «