Oleg Kozlovsky

Oleg Kozlovsky is a Russian democracy and human rights activist. He is a co-founder and one of the leaders of Oborona youth movement that is regarded as one of the Vladimir Putin’s worst enemies. This organization, which features a clenched fist in its logo, uses non-violent resistance to oppose the authoritarianism in the country. Kozlovsky participated in the Jeans Revolution in Belarus in 2006 and has been organizing the Dissenters’ Marches, Russia’s biggest protest rallies.

Kozlovsky’s activities didn’t remain unnoticed by the Kremlin; he got arrested and detained numerous times and even conscripted illegally into the army for the duration of 2008 presidential election campaign. During his latest detention he was recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. In 2008, he received the Human Rights Award from Human Rights First.

Despite persistent pressure Kozlovsky received his M.A. in Political Science at Higher School of Economics in Moscow. His master thesis was dedicated to something he knows pretty well—campaigns of civic disobedience and peaceful revolutions in Eastern Europe. Kozlovsky’s pieces were published by Russian and international media like The Washington Post, RobertAmsterdam.com or Ezhednevny Journal. He also runs his English-language blog at http://olegkozlovsky.wordpress.com.