And he explains the group's name comes from history, from the Decembrists, Russian revolutionaries who led an unsuccessful uprising against the czar in 1825.

NPR: A Journey with the Decemberists

The Decembrists were young noblemen who had gone to fight in the Napoleonic wars and returned to Russia from Europe filled with dangerous new ideas.

BBC: How Putin is inspired by history

Along the way he offers lively summaries of some of the key dramas of Russian history, including the exploration of Siberia, the tragic nobility of the Decembrists and the unspeakable siege of Leningrad.

ECONOMIST: Russia