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CSKA vs. Spartak match in the Russian Football Championship.

A political demostration by residents of the Mitino district in Moscow against the transfer of a land plot for development to the Vladislav Tretyak Foundation. Participants advocated for the preservation of public space.

The Leninsky Court in Kirov has postponed Alexei Navalny’s trial for one week, rescheduling the hearing for April 24. The delay was granted on the first day of proceedings at the request of the opposition leader’s lawyers, who argued that they had not had enough time to review all 29 volumes of the case. The defense also noted that some materials were printed on both sides of the pages, making their work more difficult. “I understand your disappointment, but we needed this,” Navalny said after the judge announced the postponement. Dozens of journalists from Moscow arrived in Kirov to cover the trial. According to Yevgenia Albats, editor-in-chief of The New Times magazine, reporters had to start queuing at 3 a.m. to get inside the courthouse.

Today, the trial in the Kirovles case begins in Kirov. This case had previously been dismissed several times due to lack of evidence. However, in the summer of 2012, it was reopened after Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, criticized the actions of the regional office employees who had closed the case. The main figure in the case is blogger and opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Vladimir Markin, an official representative of the Investigative Committee, said in an interview with the newspaper Izvestia that the investigation into the Kirovles case had been expedited because Navalny had “taunted the authorities.” On the eve of the trial, which promises to be one of the most high-profile cases of 2013, Alexei Navalny admitted to Lenta.doc that he does not expect an acquittal — and claimed that he knows who will decide how long he will serve.

The Coordination Council of the Russian opposition has now existed for six months. Elections for this civic and political body are scheduled for the fall of 2013, although skeptics doubt the Council will survive that long. Its first months were marked mostly by a series of public scandals and sluggish discussions on procedural rules. On most issues, the members — who are predominantly liberals — have been unable to reach a unified position. Lenta.doc presents a video portrait of the Coordination Council: six months of its life in four minutes.

Opening ceremony and press conference for a photo exhibition dedicated to the events of May 6 on Bolotnaya Square.

RIA Novosti press conference with Dina Garipova, winner of Channel One's "The Voice."

On March 13, 2013, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the wall of the house on Povarskaya Street in Moscow where writer Sergey Mikhalkov lived. The event was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Soviet and Russian poet. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, Head of the Moscow Department of Culture Sergey Kapkov, sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, members of Sergei Mikhalkov's family, and even his neighbors.

On March 13, the Presidium of the Central Council of Socialist Political Party A Just Russia decided to expel Gennady Gudkov and his son Dmitry from the party. Party members were displeased with the Gudkovs’ involvement in the work of the Opposition Coordination Council. Dmitry Gudkov was also condemned for his recent trip to the United States — during a human rights conference there, the State Duma deputy criticized the Russian parliament, calling it a “mad/runaway printer.” The party leadership decided that Dmitry had not written the speech himself. Listening to the accusations leveled against his son, Gennady Gudkov could not hold back his laughter. After the bureau voted to expel both Gudkovs from A Just Russia, Dmitry remarked: “For some reason, everyone is congratulating me.”

Elmira Abdrazakova from Mezhdurechensk in the Kemerovo region, the winner of the Miss Russia 2013 contest, received a Hyundai Solaris car in addition to the title of the most beautiful woman in the country. Upon receiving the car, Abdrazakova remarked that she now has everything a woman needs to be happy.

On March 8, a rally in defense of women's rights was held in Moscow's Novopushkinsky Square, which was also attended by activists carrying LGBT flags. The police detained 17 people during the rally — mainly, as explained by the organizers of the event from the Yabloko party, “anarcho-feminists” who were distributing the newspaper "Volya". Orthodox activists led by Dmitry "Enteo" Tsorionov also attended the rally, provoking detentions and chanting the slogan “Yabloko is a party of Satanists and perverts".

Political demostration of mothers and wives of those detained in the Bolotnaya Square case. Denis Lutskevich's mother came out with a poster in support of her son.