We interviewed dozens of teenagers who have only known life under Putin. Find out what they think about Russia and the world

On March 18th Russia will take to the polls for presidential elections. The result is preordained: Vladimir Putin will win, entitling him to another six years in power. Among those eligible to vote for the first time this year are many born when he first took office on the cusp of the new millennium. This generation—call them the Puteens—has grown up with no memory of life before Mr Putin.

The Economist interviewed dozens of 18 year-olds across Russia to hear about how they see the world, understand the past, and imagine their futures. Below you will find a selection of 12 stories. (Interviews have been edited and condensed for readability.) We also invite you to learn more about how we met our heroes, and to listen along to what’s playing in their headphones.

Valeria Zinchenko

Born Dec 22nd 1999, Moscow

Lives in Khimki

Currently applying for acting school

Listening to The Doors (“You're Lost Little Girl”)

Watching “Shutter Island”

Reading “And Quiet Flows the Don” by Mikhail Sholokhov

Places I've been Sochi, Crimea, Seliger, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Spain, Turkey, Egypt

E VER since I was a kid, I’ve loved to sing. I sang wherever I could: in the street and on trains. My mom sent me to music school when I was seven years old. My mom and I also travelled loads. I’ve been to a ton of places for someone my age. I was in Italy last, in Lazio, in the central district. This summer we were also in the south, in the area of Maratea. Do you know it?

I want to become an actress. And not just an actress, but a famous actress, a successful actress. In both the theatre and movies. The theatre is more alive, more real. In Russia you can star in movies even without any training, as long as you’ve got connections in the industry. But I’d still like to star in good films, because without that you can’t become successful.

It’s always been tough for me to imagine how I’ll split my time between my career and my family. Lots of people say if they had to choose, they’d choose family. I can’t really say that. I don’t believe that women should be weak or that they should depend on their husbands for everything. If you just sit around at home, you won’t grow. But on the other hand I guess if you put everything into your career, you’ll come home to an empty apartment with no one there.

We’re probably the last normal generation. We live in an age of technology, and everything’s constantly moving forward. In the Soviet Union our parents didn’t have much in terms of technology, there were just fewer ways of contacting people far away. But they probably had a lot more time for spirituality.

I think these elections are pretty useless. My vote won’t change anything at all. A lot of people vote and a lot of them think that their voice matters. But we’ve got a certain political caste, and they won’t step down until they die. We’ve always lived under the same person. I don’t really think this is right. In America, they change leaders every six years or so. But here they can just add a line to the Constitution and he can stay in power.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t love my country. I do love my country, just not for the politics. I wouldn’t want to move away from here. I’m used to the mentality. I’m proud because we have a glorious history—we have so many great people, great writers, politicians and artists. If you look at world history, we’ve had so many victories. We’re a great power.

I have friends who used to live here and now live in the West. They say it’s easier to live there, that the people there are more easy-going. Everyone has profound problems, but we Russians really tend to overthink things. What do Russians love? Russians love money, love and suffering.

On Russia and the world

They try to convince us that Americans all hate us; that Americans think Russia is a place full of evil people, bears on the streets and vodka. I don’t think they hate us. I follow a few people on Instagram who travel all over the world, and there’s one girl who was in America and said people were super nice to her.

On rights

I wouldn’t want to see two men kissing on the street. I think it’s a violation of physics or nature. I understand that such people exist, but it’s not natural.

On history

In the civil war, I’m for the Whites. Throughout our history, everything moved gradually in a certain direction. Then the Soviet Union was like ‘Bam!’ and society changed completely. Revolution isn’t the right way forward.

Vyacheslav Volkov

Born Jun 15th 1999, Moscow

Lives in Nizhny Novgorod region

Currently serving in the armed forces of the Russian Federation

Listening to Splean (Vremya, Nazad!)

Watching nothing

Reading theological literature

Places I've been Smolensk, Vitebsk, Kaluga, Krasnodar, Belarus

A T THE moment, I’m serving in the ranks of the Armed Forces of our beloved Motherland. I’m a gunner of an infantry combat vehicle. When the other guys in my unit complain, I say: Where do you think you are? You think this is a summer camp? This isn’t no summer camp, this is the army. I treat serving as a duty. Since I was called up, it means that I must serve. My parents told me ‘good job’, they said it’s the right thing to do.

After this I want to go to the seminary and become a priest. My family is atheist, but my mom and I decided to get baptised together four years ago. Then I started teaching bell-ringing and it was full steam ahead. I found it all interesting and everything came together easily—it was as if someone had taken me by the hand and led me down this path. I can’t call it anything other than God’s help. The church also treats army service positively. You have to be able to protect the Fatherland if necessary.

Once I get out of the army, I’m planning to spend a year just living. I ought to experience life a bit. The more experienced you are, the more useful you’ll be in the ministry. The point is to help people find ways out of difficult situations. But if you’re just a youngster who doesn’t know anything yourself, what advise can you possibly give to an adult?

I want to teach people understand each other again, to care about each other, and not turn into “soulless cattle”. What disappoints me about our generation is that we’re absolutely indifferent to each other. People have just stopped sympathising with each other. That’s why I choose this path: to teach my congregation to love each other.

We have a lot of people in the country these days who criticise instead of doing something. They like to shout loudly about how bad everything is here. I don’t agree. I like living here. I have everything I need. Some people say that we live poorly. I say: guys, every second person, even in villages, has an iPhone. Every other family has three cars. And you say that our lives suck?

Sure there are people who have rough lives, but you know what? Those people don’t work, and their children bum around all day and drink. If you want anything decent in life, you have to work for it.

I’m going to vote this year. I’ll lose my electoral virginity. I believe that Vladimir Putin is a great leader. Knowing the history of this country, he really pulled us out of the shitter.

We probably need to change something, but Vladimir Vladimirovich has made a huge contribution in getting us to where we are now, and there’s no worthy replacement yet. We need to hold on until something appears in the distance.

On religion

For me the most important thing in life is God. Then my parents. And then making a contribution to the legacy of my motherland.

On rights

From a biblical point of view, a wife exists for her husband. The husband is the one the whole family hangs on, and the wife is there to help him.

On history

I have mixed feelings about Stalin. He strengthened our country and made it great in terms of industrialization and military might. But he also kind of drowned it in blood. Lots of people praise him, but forget that it was a tyranny.

Abubakr Azaev

Born Feb 29th 2000, Dylym

Lives in Makhachkala

Currently studying design

Listening to Gorillaz (“19-2000”)

Watching “One-Punch Man”

Reading “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien

Places I've been Moscow, St. Petersburg, Pyatigorsk, Rostov-on-Don, Grozny, Kislovodsk

I T’S STRANGE: I gradually forget good memories, while bad memories remain like scars. My childhood in the village of Dylym was the happiest time in my life. I was a leader, and I brought people together when we got bullied.

Then we moved to Makhachkala. On the first day at school, the other kids gathered around and asked “What nationality are you”? I didn’t know what those words even meant. I only knew a few words of Russian: “Hello” or “how are you”. I came home and asked my mother what they said. In the beginning, I was against learning Russian—I’m not Russian. But this is the problem of my entire generation: gradually everyone forgets their native language. I have a younger brother, he’s four years old and he only knows two or three words of Avar, the rest is in Russian.

There are five kids in my family. My father married for the second time four or five years ago. It’s a strange story, but now he has two wives. In Dagestan, if you want to marry another woman, you don’t really need to get divorced. That was a really tough time. I saw my mother cry for the first time. My whole family is very religious. Having multiple wives is permitted in Islam–to some extent it’s Sunnah, so it’s even a desirable thing. I would turn off my phone and go to the mosque so that no one could find me. Being in the mosque helps me calm down and sort out my thoughts.

It’s not that I’m an antisocial person, because I’m changing. But I didn’t have many friends when I moved here. My father had a computer, and my brother and I spent days sitting online. It became my only outlet. From one point in the world, we can reach anywhere else, and that opens unlimited opportunities and unlimited horizons for us. I basically know how people live in China, in Japan, in the USA. The downside is that there’s just too much information and too many different points of view. It’s hard to know what to believe.

I’d like to become an animator, to make cartoons and games and do character design. I want to open a studio and show the history of Dagestan, since lots of people don’t even know that we exist. As soon as I finish studying, I’ll have to start looking for work. Money is tight in our big family. And the Russian economy is getting worse and worse. Things have stabilised since the 90s, but this stability hasn’t brought any joy.

I wish it were more comfortable to live here, that the economy would grow. I often buy groceries and see how prices are gradually rising. Especially after the sanctions, prices went way up. The juice I always buy used to cost 40 roubles, and now it costs 80.

But Russia is filled with simple people. And as always in Russia, as long as there’s bread on the table, the people won’t protest. As long as they have bread, they’ll tolerate whoever’s in charge. And honestly I’m ready to endure too, as long I have my bread. What I mean is that I have food to eat, I have a roof over my head, there is no war, no threats, and we live peacefully, so I want to continue living peacefully.

On religion

Religion plays the central role in my life. Faith in God and prayer have always calmed my soul. I can’t imagine how to live with out it.

On history

My great-grandfather was repressed under Stalin. They took him away, and we don’t know where his body is. Some say we won the second world war because of Stalin. But we could have had it without such large sacrificies, without such enormous violence, without represssions.

On politics

I’m going to vote, but I don’t know for whom. You know how many candidates we have: Putin, then there’s Putin, and Putin once again. Even if I vote for someone else, I don’t think it will change anything.

Sonia Bondarenko

Born Sep 21st 1999, Iskitim

Lives in Barnaul

Currently studying veterinary science

Listening to Scriptonite (“Nia”)

Watching “Game of Thrones”

Reading “Notes of a Dirty Old Man” by Charles Bukowski

Places I've been Black Sea, Omsk, Kemerovo

I ’M FROM Iskitim, a little city near Novosibirsk. Life there revolves around two factories: a cement factory and a factory that makes weapons and warheads. My mom’s a nurse in a clinic. I don’t really know my dad. He lives in the north. My mom says he was a great guy when he was younger. But as soon as they started living together and got married, he started drinking. They broke up when I was three months old. He’s still drinking.

When my mom and I are on good terms, she calls me “Sovyenok”, which means “little owl”. Her favourite phrase is “you’ll sleep your whole life away”. I can sleep for days without waking up. I once slept for more than 42 hours straight.

When I was five or so, my mom had a boyfriend and we lived with him in Kemerovo. There were pigs, cows and chickens there. It was real rural life, and my friends were all animals. I’m studying to be a vet in Barnaul now. I try to come home every weekend because my mom is sick. The Novosibirsk train line is terrible, it’s crazy cold. Snow flies into the carriage sometimes.

I’d like to help my mom out financially. By 35, I plan to have at least a couple of animal shelters of my own in the region. My heart just breaks when I see animals in the streets. But if the political situation doesn’t change, I’m definitely not staying in Russia. Maybe we’ll go south, somewhere warm.

I got interested in politics about a year ago. My mom’s salary was cut and I tried to understand why. I realised how much is being stolen from the budget. I’m not the only young person like this. Everyone’s pissed off.

[Alexei] Navalny is my candidate. I’m registered as a volunteer for him. When they noticed my Navalny pin at school, they told me to remove it. I was summoned to the rector’s office and asked what was wrong with me. I told them that he’s my candidate and that you don’t have the right to take away my voice. They told us all that if we don’t vote for Putin, we’ll be thrown out of our dormitories. They told us that we have to take a bus from the dormitory and write a statement saying who we voted for.

We don’t need a revolution like 1917 though. We have approach things slowly but surely. People who try to run straight through glass usually end up getting hurt.

I told my mom about Navalny and said that if he succeeds in running as a candidate, she’d vote for him. But she’s afraid to support him publicly. I’m not afraid, and neither are my friends. My generation has no self-preservation instinct and no fear. No one’s afraid of saying what we think. That was never encouraged before. Now at least we have a semblance of freedom of speech. If you want to speak, you can. Though I do wonder where I’ll be at the end of March: in jail or in class?

On rights

My maths teacher told us on the first day of class, if there are any gays here, get out now. In Russia people who are different are treated like outcasts.

On history

Lenin? He was a Russian ruler, or no, a Soviet ruler, who lies dead in a castle. But I don’t know anything about his reign, I don’t know much about history at all.

On politics

I’m a big supporter of Navalny. I haven’t seen another Russia. It’s only Putin, Putin. We don’t have a choice. Once people who were born in the 70’s or 80’s, not the 50’s, come to power, things might change.

Mikhail Kharchenko

Born Mar 25th 1999, Novosibirsk

Lives in Novosibirsk

Currently studying culinary arts

Listening to Maks Korzh (“Slovo Patsana”)

Watching “Vosmidesyatie”

Reading nothing

Places I've been Altai, Tomsk

I HAVE this idea, you might call it a dream. Have you seen the cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants”? Remember the Krusty Krab? I’ve been thinking, why not take the Krusty Krab and bring it to life? People will see it and go: “Wow! It’s the Krusty Krab from my childhood cartoon!” And they’ll want to come in. I mean if you think about it seriously, why wouldn’t it work?

I’m studying to become a chef. I decided to become a chef because everyone likes to eat well. I definitely do. And you’ve got to be able to cook well to eat well. My favourite dishes are ones with chicken. I go crazy on the chicken.

These days I’m thinking more about my career. It’s too early to have a family. I want to be able to stand on my own feet and achieve what I want before having a family. I’ve had a lot of girlfriends, of course. But when I get a girlfriend, literally a week goes by and I’ve already lost interest.

It’s an out-of-date belief that the husband should earn money and the wife should take care of the home. I’m for equality. It’s not right that the husband should work and the wife should just stand at the stove. My mom has had three husbands. One died, another was put in jail, and the third one is my father. Two of my brothers were from one father, a sister from another and I’m from the third.

I think my horizons are broader than my parents were. They didn’t really have super-duper ambitions to become super-successful. They’re more family people. I want to achieve more than them. To live better. I’m not saying that we live badly: our life is nice and cosy. But I want more.

I see a future for myself. If not in Novosibirsk, then in one of the many other cities in Russia. I don’t know why, but I’m kind of drawn to go to America, to New York especially. Even if I had to start from the bottom, I’d be ready to go there. I don’t feel the hostility they try to push on us. There aren’t bad nationalities, just bad people.

I’m not into politics at all. It’s not interesting. All I hear are bad things. My dad insults everyone. Who cares who you vote for? All of the candidates are bad. I don’t really know anything personally about Putin, but I hear more positive things about him than negative things. I like the fact that he’s a real man. He’s good and strong.

On religion

I’m not religious. I used to be. My grandma prays three times a day. But I’m more inclined towards science than faith now. There aren’t really any facts that God exists.

On rights

My sister is gay. After talking with her, I’m accepting of men who like men and women who like women. I’m not grossed out by it. It’s their choice. Let them live how they want.

On history

I’m not sure who Lenin was and what he did. And Stalin, was he president? I don’t know, I heard he was a really harsh guy.

Daria Mikryukova

Born Mar 14th 2000, Moscow

Lives in Moscow

Currently studying chemistry

Listening to Car Seat Headrest (“High to Death”)

Watching “Departure”

Reading “Snuff” by Chuck Palahniuk

Places I've been St. Petersburg, Khvolinsk, USA, Italy, Thailand, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Morocco

I ’VE ALWAYS wanted to go into science, maybe become an inventor of some kind. I just want to do some good for the world. I’m finishing my undergrad now. After that I’ll probably do a master’s degree. If I do well, maybe I’ll go abroad to study. I’ve been to America a couple of times and really liked it.

Nowadays everyone everywhere is more focused on individuality. People don’t want to be a little part of some bigger whole. I’m an individual, I am who I am, take it or leave it.

I play the ukulele and listen to lots of music. I like to watch stupid videos on YouTube and go to museums. One friend and I really love contemporary art—we go to the Multimedia Art Museum because students can get cheap tickets. Five years ago they showed the private collection of Damien Hirst and I really liked that. We recently went to an exhibit of photographs of Vladimir Mayakovsky.

I’m also part of the LGBT community. I’m pan. I have lots of queer friends, even two transgender people. We’re all pretty tight, everyone’s loyal and supportive. My mom didn’t have a problem with me coming out, but I don’t think she really takes it seriously. She doesn’t have anything against the actual relationships, but when it comes to gay marriage and adoption she’s all: “Why?” I tell her: “Because we need it”. I often say to her: “Mom, you’re not going to walk me down the aisle at my wedding”.

I think it’ll be a long, difficult struggle for rights in our country, but in the end everything will be ok.

My birthday slides in right before the elections. I don’t know who to vote for. I don’t want to vote for Putin. Nobody in my family wants to vote for him. We’ve suffered enough already. I’m sure at the beginning, during his first term in 2000, he did a lot of good. The economy grew and people started to live better. But as the saying goes: the deeper you go into the woods, the thicker the trees. The guy has already forgotten why he’s in office. It’s not to invite your cronies to steal from the budget, but to do something good for the country!

I haven’t gone to any protests though. My parents were like: “What, you want to sit in a police van”? And I was like: “Uh, no, not really.” So I stayed home.

People say that my generation is more cynical. But I think people just know what they want and don’t want to put themselves in any kind of box. Our generation isn’t ready to take the risks that older generations did. If earlier it was like, “Let’s do something big, we’re so great,” now people say, “Hey, let’s all just chill a bit, focus on the good vibes, and live in peace.”

On Russia and the world

I went to Washington D.C. People are always saying that America is so different from us. But it didn’t feel that at all. I thought we were way more alike than different.

On life online

I get most of my news on VKontakte. When I turn on the TV, my god, I just start to scream, I can’t do it!

On politics

Any attempts to create an opposition are either laughed off or persecuted. It’s not right. It becomes absurd. Like they can arrest you for things you repost online!

Ekaterina Kislyak

Born Feb 3rd 2000, Murmansk

Lives in Murmansk

Currently studying economics and management and working at fitness club

Listening to Svidanie (“Krasiva”)

Watching “Girls”

Reading law textbooks

Places I've been Krasnodar, Crimea, Moscow, St Petersburg

M Y DAD worked as a driver at a prison. When the big bosses weren’t around, he would take me to work. There was a woman there who would always give me pirozhki. When I’d arrive she’d say, “Katya came, Katyusha!” It was super interesting to go into the real prison where there were only empty cells, but at the same time it’s scary in there.

I used to want to be a model. I went to modelling school for three and a half years. Now I’d like to become a detective with the General Prosecutor’s office. I’m studying economics and management, and in second year we’re starting to go through laws and the legal codex, starting to study labour law. Sometimes they give us real cases and we have to pick which charges fit properly.

In my ideal future I’m already a detective, and I have an apartment, a family, maybe a house and a country house. I’d like at least two kids, a boy and a girl. I’ll travel to different countries. I’d like to go to Spain. People seem completely different there—nicer. People here are always angry at something, there’s more fear and hatred of other people.

Though I guess if I’m a detective, I won’t be allowed to leave the country. So I’d like to travel through Russia at least.

A successful person is someone who’s happy. That means having a job you like, and a family you love. It means finding yourself and building a life so that your loved ones are close to you, especially your mom, so that there’s always a loving shoulder to lean on. And finding a husband. But these days that’s tough, because most guys my age have different things in mind. They’re just trying to get around and have fun. If they have relationships, they don’t last long. After a few months they get fed up and want something new.

Younger people aren’t really interested in politics. My peers are thinking about other things. Some are ready for family life, others are thinking about going out and where to get drunk.

I’m not sure if I’ll vote. I don’t think my parents are planning to. Even if they voted against him, Putin would still win. They made some sort of deal, first Putin, then Medvedev, then Putin again. So there’s not really any point in voting. It doesn’t really bother me that I’ve lived my whole life with him.

On Russia and the world

I looked online and saw how people live in Spain. They seem so nice and so compassionate — I want to go and see for myself.

On life online

I learn about news online on my phone. I used to watch TV in the background while I did homework, but I’m not a fan now. You can find everything online.

On rights

I want women and men to be equal. If you’re a man now, you get more opportunities for jobs or to build a business. Women aren’t fully seen or heard.

Aleksei Malikov

Born Jan 3rd 2000, Kola

Lives in Murmansk

Currently studying construction

Listening to Lil Peep (“Marshmello”)

Watching “Wynonna Earp”

Reading “The Adolescent” by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Places I've been St. Petersburg, Canada, Norway, Finland, Krasnodar, Voronezh, Yaroslavl, Novosibirsk, Moscow

I GREW up in a village called Molochniy. My mom had me when she was only 17, so I lived with my grandma. There’s only one street and a few houses there. There was a monument at the entrance to town, you drove up the hill, and our house was the first one on the right next to a shop. I remember my grandma sitting in the evenings and talking to a woman called Irina. She would bring me toys and I would sit on the bed holding my toys, with my dog nearby. The room smelled of oranges.

When I was almost six, I moved to Murmansk to live with my mom because my younger brother was born. I skated a lot as a kid. Now I’m 18—I can’t be skating, I don’t have time for that. Sometimes I look at my board though, like, damn, maybe I should just go ride a bit. Murmansk has a strong skate culture. We’ve got a lot of BMX ers, skaters, rollerbladers. I’ve also got a snowskate for winter. It’s the same as a skateboard, only without wheels. The tricks are tougher to do, but it’s possible.

Before, I had long hair, some emo bullshit. But now I understand I need to be more focused and serious. You won’t get the job you want with pink hair. I mean, you can get the job first, prove yourself, and then dye your hair pink or whatever colour.

My friends call me Alex, or Lee for short. American-style. My crew is all into that. We’ve got some kids from Canada, someone from London, even a girl from Greece. They’re from Russian families that came back here.

There’s one kid in class who’s only for Russia, and always talks about how crap America is. I’m like: look man, you’re wearing clothes from America. I don’t get why we have to be at each other’s throats. The country’s at peace now, chill out and enjoy it.

In terms of life here and politics, I’m basically happy with everything. Only the rising prices bother me. But crises happen from time to time. I’m 18, so I should worry about elections, but I already know who’s going to win, there’s no point in it.

I’m not against someone else ruling, but there aren’t any other candidates who could actually take on Russia and run it. So fuck it! Let the guy who can do it, do it.

I want to become an architect, and I will become one. I’m the kind of person who if I want to do something, I’ll find a way to. I never prepare for tests. I just turn up, read the book quickly, talk about the stuff, and get straight A’s. Everyone calls me a cheater, but it works for me.

The most important thing in life now, in the 21st century, is self-confidence. If you’re not confident, then society will just swallow you up and make you part of the masses. If you’re confident, you’ll never be humiliated. You’ll always be like: here I am, love me or leave me.

On life online

Our teacher started making us watch TV news this year. We were in shock at first. It’s awful! I get my news from pages on VKontakte.

On religion

I don’t believe in God. It’s stupid to believe that some dude in a robe is sitting up in the sky and running everything. I’m an atheist, though my mom is really religious.

On rights

It’s not the 19th century where women should sit at home with kids, while men go off to fight. Women should be respected.

Kamilla Akhmedova

Born Jul 26th 1999, Makhachkala

Lives in Makhachkala

Currently studying interior design

Listening to Evanescence (“My Immortal”)

Watching “Love Me if You Dare”

Reading “Transformer” by Dmitry Portnyagin

Places I've been Moscow, Azerbaijan

F ROM childhood here, we’re told how to live. They tell us what’s right, and what’s wrong. People look at each other askance. I took a taxi to class and had headphones in, I wasn’t bothering anyone. We were standing in traffic and the driver said to me, “Look at her.” Next to us there was a car, and a girl behind the wheel. She was singing and dancing while we sat in traffic. She was in her own car, doing her thing. This is supposed to be a free country. And he says to me, “Look what she’s doing, she turned on music and is dancing like she was at home. It’s unseemly, she’s in a public place.” I put on my headphones and rode further in silence.

One way or another, here in Dagestan religion is so widespread that you can’t avoid it. People start to tell you: that’s good, that’s bad, you need to do this, and believe that. And you begin unwittingly obeying, especially if you’re a kid. I stopped for some reason, and understood that it’s all a load of crap.

I prefer to tell it like it is. If I don’t like what someone has done or the way a person treated me, I’ll say it straight up. I prefer to tell the truth. But people mostly aren’t capable of that. A lot of them will say one thing behind your back, but then try and be friends. You think he’s a good person, but then you find out what he’s been saying about you.

If I want to dance along the street, I can. You have to live that way. You have to do what you want—within the bounds of the acceptable. You have to have fun.

I’m not ready to get married or have kids. I think a woman should be able to provide for herself, make things happen herself, and only then get married and raise kids. People in Dagestan have a different understanding about that though: the man works, and the woman sits at home, looks after the kids, cleans up, and cooks. I don’t support those views at all. But its all about religion and tradition here.

In general, I think people are egotists. They’re jerks. People live for themselves and do for themselves, and that bugs me. The thing I’d really like to do in life, is to do something for others, to do something useful for people, for nature, for the world. If only other people could live that way too.

On Russia and the world

I definitely want to leave. I’d like to live abroad somewhere. I want to go everywhere and try everything.

On life online

I’m always on my phone and I hate myself for it. It’s the worst.

On religion

I believe in God, but not in religion. I stopped praying about two years ago. I believe that things aren’t just randomly here, that there’s a meaning of some kind. I believe in fate.

Anastasia Khandozhko

Born Jan 8th 2000, Khimki

Lives in Khimki

Currently taking university entrance exams

Listening to G-Easy (“Me, Myself & I”)

Watching “Knockin' on Heavens Door”

Reading “Three Comrades” by Erich Maria Remarque

Places I've been Crimea, Bryansk, Italy, Spain, France, Monte Carlo, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Tunisia

I ’VE BEEN trying to find myself since childhood. My friends and I constantly came up with different ideas and drew houses in chalk on the pavement. My mom gives me complete freedom of expression. I can do anything I want with my room, even write on the walls. All my friends who come over sign their names on the door. I have a long wall completely filled with photos, moments from my life, floor to ceiling. On the other wall I have a painting by Gustav Klimt, “”Virgo”“. And a Nachos poster. I’ve also got a shelf filled with practice tests for state exams, and a little corner with my favourite cacti. I call them Andrei and Constantine.

For an eighteen year old, I’ve really seen quite a lot, I’ve been to a lot of countries. But I wouldn’t want to leave Russia. I’d miss it if I left. You can’t find the same mentality anywhere else. Europe’s nice, I’ll admit it. There are more opportunities there, but if you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, you can find your calling anywhere.

Our generation already has more opportunities than our parents. It’s obvious. Our parents lived in the USSR and were closed off from the outside world. We have more chances now to develop, to move forward, to invent something new.

I’m thinking about going into politics in the future. I have big dreams about changing the world. I want to help our country to thrive. The only problem is I’m totally incapable of lying.

I’m definitely going to vote. My ex-boyfriend and I often discussed this. I would say to him: what’s the point in voting? It’s not going to change anything. Who are you trying to fool? He replied: Nastya, that’s exactly what everyone thinks and that’s why no one votes. So I’m going. I’m choosing between the Communist party and the Liberal Democratic party. I’m reading about their candidates, watching their interviews and I‘m leaning towards the Communist party so far.

I’m kind of a fan of the Soviet Union. Of course there were minuses – especially in terms of censorship. It would be tough for me to live in a country like that. But I’m entranced by the idea of socialism. People back then were striving for something, they had a dream and they lived that dream.

I’m proud of my country today too. Sure there are problems. But a country is made great by its people. And our mentality, the Russian spirit, the Russian soul — I don’t think anyone else has such a soul. No one will ever understand what’s going on in our heads. We probably don’t always understand what’s going on in our heads. No one knows what to expect from us. I guess that’s why the world is afraid of us sometimes.

On life online

What they say on TV isn’t interesting to me. I don’t watch it, except to turn on a stupid show when I’m tired after school.

On history

Stalin is a great leader. He is the smartest, strongest man. He did incredible things. It was brutal, but without that brutality, there wouldn’t have been discipline and order.

On politics

I don’t believe anything will change now—everyone thinks Putin will win. But I believe that honesty is possible in our country and that eventually it will prevail. We’ll have fair elections, and another ruling party.

Vladislav Shadrin

Born Jan 4th 2000, Murmansk

Lives in Murmansk

Currently studying law

Listening to Scorpions (“Wind of Change”)

Watching “Black Mirror”

Reading “The Birth of Complexity” by Aleksandr Markov

Places I've been Turkey, Egypt, Ukraine, Finland, Crimea

I WASN’T a very good student in school, I mostly got Cs. I thought school was a total waste. But now I’m going to college and studying law. My dad is a sailor. He has to know a bit about international law. He sails on cargo ships to Africa, to America. He brings back photos and souvenirs.

I like living in Murmansk, I like the north and the cold. But there aren’t many opportunities here, so I might leave to find work. I might have to go to the army. I don’t want to though, I think it’s a useless waste of a year. Why would I need to run around with a rifle?

The political situation inside the country is pretty complicated now. We’ve got presidential elections coming. Alexei Navalny is trying to use young people. When I first heard about his protests, I thought: I’ve got to go. But then I thought: what for? Changing power by fighting and protesting is too radical.

I don’t plan to vote. It’s clear already that Putin will win. I’m not against it, since it means there won’t be any threat of interventions or meddling by other countries. I think he’s a strong leader. As long as he’s in power, there won’t be any attacks on us.

If that Navalny comes to power, the changes will be too big, society won’t be able to handle it, and we’ll fall into troubled times—more troubled even than in the 1990s, I bet. I say let Putin finish out his terms and then we can think about changes. As long as I can remember, he’s been in charge.

When Putin came to power, he raised the country up, and made it better than it was under Yeltsin. But the longer he’s in power, the worse it’s getting. If one person rules for an enormous amount of time, he gets used to power and begins to see people and see the country differently. But there aren’t any worthy candidates except him.

Our foreign policy is clearly better than domestic. We have a lot of corruption. The bureaucrats and the police allow themselves a lot, and no one really works to stop it. Everyone’s just used to that being the way it is. We have enormous natural resources that we could use for new technologies. But that isn’t being done. The profits end up in the upper echelons of the authorities, and the people get paid little.

I used to think the most important things in life were finding a good job and a wife. Now I think about making technological progress and studying outer space. You’ve probably heard about how Musk launched his rocket? I watched it live and it took my breath away. I couldn’t sleep half the night. When you recognize that real breakthroughs are being made while you’re alive, you get the sense that that’s what’s worth living for: to discover something new and help humanity.

On Russia and the world

We’re a country just like any other. Only with a huge territory, a strong army, and lots of natural resources.

On religion

God is what people invented for themselves to have something to believe in. And to make it easier to run a government or a society.

On politics

Putin is a strong leader. As long as he’s in power, there won’t be any attacks on us.

Mikhail Solovyev

Born Dec 31st 1999, Novosibirsk

Lives in Novosibirsk

Currently studying telecommunications

Listening to Aria (“Mashina Smerti”)

Watching “Going Vertical”

Reading nothing

Places I've been: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Barnaul, Omsk, Tomsk, Rostov-on-Don, the Black Sea

I WAS born on the eve of the millennium. My parents say it was -50 C and no buses or taxis were running. But that’s Siberia for you. As a kid I went to a summer camp geared towards military sports. We played survival games, did team building and physical training, and learned to shoot air-rifles. Some were Russian national games with valenki boots; it all had a Cossack focus. We learned to do tricks on horseback, even riding with a spear. After a while, I found an organisation that does the same stuff year round.

I’d like to work in mobile communications. One day I hope to serve in the army as a signals operator, to make a contribution to the Fatherland. I believe that a patriot is someone who does something useful for the country. I consider myself a patriot because I do volunteer work—we helped the city recover from an ecological disaster. We have places in the region where lots of endangered animals and birds started dying. So we came, conducted surveys, and organized trash pickups.

No matter what the situation is, a Russian will always help a Russian. Even if you’re in another city or another country. I remember the film “Brat 2”, when a brother saved his older brother who was in America in the 1990s. Neither had any money or connections or anything, but they still saved each other.

And we don’t just help each other, we’re ready to help anyone who comes here. I worked in a shop stocking shelves for a couple months. Sometimes foreigners showed up, from America, or Japan, or even China. They couldn’t explain to anyone what they needed. I only know a bit of English, but I went up to them, spoke with them, and opened my translation app. Somehow I managed to explain. I don’t believe that Russia is the coolest country, and the rest suck.

A lot of people are upset these days, they want to leave or rebel, but on the whole I think the country is heading the right direction. Sure, there are some shortcomings, but things are going pretty well—it could be much worse.

Some of the youngsters, high schoolers, they want change, they want something new, something more European. But they’re just kids who want toys. Those of us who are a bit older, who are already at university, we don’t need all that. We just want the economy to be good, and so that there won’t be any wars or poverty.

In my future I want a job that I love. A wife and family that I love. And a house that I love. That’s all I need. I have this dilemma though: whether to stay here in Siberia, or move south, somewhere warm, somewhere closer to the sea.

On Russia and the world

All countries are good in their own ways. They’re like dogs—some have beautiful eyes, and others have fluffy fur. You can’t say that Rottweilers are the best dogs in the world.

On life online

I mostly get my news from TV. But if something grabs me, I try to search for information from different sources, because each channel says things their own way.

On politics

Putin is a good president. There’s nothing I don’t like about him.

Photographic project by Davide Monteleone specially commissioned by The Economist