" Politics is the ability to use any situation to advance your own status,” Sergey told me with a smile that seemed to mimic Surkov’s (who in turn mimics the KGB men). “How do you define your political views?” I asked him. He looked at me like I was a fool to ask, then smiled: “I’m a liberal . . . it can mean anything! "

― Peter Pomerantsev , Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia