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Who Is Sergei Udaltsov?

Activist Sergei Udaltsov, a well-known dissenter and coordinator of far-left political group the Left Front, is a staunch critic of the Kremlin. Mitya Aleshkovsky / Flickr
Udaltsov went on a hunger strike to protest of his prison sentence following a conviction for organizing riots during anti-Kremlin protests in 2012. Evgeniy Isaev / Flickr
Udaltsov was arrested soon after Russian state television broadcast a program saying he plotted with a Georgian political leader to foment riots in Moscow. Yuri Timofeyev / Flickr
A mass anti-Kremlin rally on the eve of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration on May 6, 2012 resulted in clashes between demonstrators and police on Bolotnaya Square. Dozens were later charged with inciting mass riots and clashing with law enforcement officers. Michael / Flickr
Protesters and opposition activists maintain that the clashes were stoked by police. Vadim Skorobogatko / Flickr
Protest leaders Sergei Udaltsov and Leonid Razvozzhayev were convicted in July 2014 of having organized riots at the rally. Yuri Timofeyev / Flickr
Human rights activists denounced Udaltsov’s trial as a mockery of justice and said the sentencing marked a virtual end to political freedom in Russia. Anton Belitskiy / Flickr

Sergei Udaltsov a leader of the anti-Kremlin Left Front movement, was convicted of organizing riots in 2012 and sentenced to more than four years in prison. He was released on Tuesday.

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