This episode was recorded right after the anniversary of the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. I spoke with Lena, a political activist from Novosibirsk who still lives in Russia and dares to give an interview under her real name. Novosibirsk is the so-called capital of Siberia and has a population of one and a half million. The city is also ranked one of the most protested cities in Russia. But this year the city lost its right to elect the mayor. Now the Kremlin will appoint the mayor, or rather the puppet mayor.

I talked with Lena about academic freedom in Russia, political activism, and historical memory.