Glasnost and perestroika are inextricably linked to Gorbachev. He tried to reform the Soviet Union and ended the Cold War. However, his policies led to the collapse of the USSR – with disastrous consequences for its population. This arguably explains his bad reputation amongst the Russians. In the West, however, he is celebrated. By Stefan Bernhardt

Out of nowhere, he entered Georgia’s political scene in October 2011. A billionaire, whose wealth exceeds the annual budget of the state, won the parliamentary elections with his newly founded party alliance, the Georgian Dream, in October 2012. By Stefan Bernhardt

An authoritarian style, human rights violations and corruption are the results of Karimov’s reign in Uzbekistan. If you are politically or economically interested in Uzbekistan, you have to know its president since he will probably rule the country until his death. By Stefan Bernhardt

The dispute between former Minister of Finance Kudrin and President Dmitry Medvedev escalated in 2011 after the announcement that Vladimir Putin and Medvedev plan exchange their positions. As a consequence Kudrin withdrew as Minister of Finance. This loss is a dire for the Kremlin, which in so doing lost one of the best of its liberal experts of economy. By Stefan Bernhardt

His infamous title "Europe's last dictator" shows the kind of reputation Lukashenko has. For almost 20 years, he has ruled Belarus with an iron fist, whereby his greatest strength is the weakness and fragmentation of the opposition. By Stefan Bernhardt

Michail Saakashvili is gone and the office of the President is reformed in favor of the Prime Minister. But Margvelashvili’s election victory is not only for the philosopher the most important moment of his career but also for Georgia. Yet he is more of an unknown person. By Stefan Bernhardt

Even before his presidency, he was predicted to hold Vladimir Putin’s place for a renewed presidency in 2012. Medvedev was never perceived as a strong president even though he achieved more than making an additional presidency for Putin a possibility. By Stefan Bernhardt

He is Russia’s best known blogger. The protests against the election frauds in 2011 have doubtlessly brought Navalny international fame. He was previously a celebrity in Russia primarily among young Russians. Often styled as a figurehead of the protests against Putin and corruption, he simultaneously appears to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. By Stefan Bernhardt

He has governed Kazakhstan, the economic powerhouse in Central Asia, since its independence in 1991. During his presidency, he was able to use Kazakhstan’s petrodollars to quickly modernize the country, relocate the capital, and build a multiethnic and multicultural state. But Nazarbayev is essentially a democratically elected dictator. By Roy Yu

In the 1990s he was Russia’s youngest governor, one of Putin’s first adversaries, and continues to be an advocate of privatization and market economy. Nemtsov has experienced political hardship. He is a politician that should never be written off. By Stefan Bernhardt

Previously, Prokhorov made headlines only through his assets, companies and purchases of sport teams. In 2011 the third richest man of Russia went on the political stage with several scandals. Is he actually an independent candidate for presidency? By Stefan Bernhardt

His election in 2000, made him only the second President of the Russian Federation. While his image is negative in the West, Vladimir Putin is one of the most popular politicians in Russia, yet he is not without controversy. He was Boris Yeltsin’s successor yet ousted the Yeltsin clan from power in order to rearrange Russia. By Stefan Bernhardt

He has governed the small Central Asian state of Tajikistan since 1994. Although the country had lived through a bloody civil war in the 1990s, this war did not manage to threaten Rahmon’s iron rule. His terms in office, marked by human rights abuses and corruption, have made him a controversial figure both at home and abroad. By Roy Yu

Saakashvili has shaped Georgia since the Rose Revolution 2003, both for the better and for the worse. In 2013, his presidency will reach an end due to constitutional limit. His supporters see him as the savior of Georgia, while his opponents as a power-hungry populist. By Stefan Bernhardt

The terms diplomat, member of the opposition and prison inmate describe the last 20 years of Sannikovs life, one of the famous Belarusian opposition politicians. In the 2010 presidential elections in Belarus, he won the second most votes, but on election night he was arrested. By Stefan Bernhardt

For a long time he was the strategist behind the domestic political rearrangement of Russia under Vladimir Putin. The ‘puppet master’ of the Presidential Executive Office gained a new position in the government after the protest against the election frauds in December 2011. By Stefan Bernhardt

Successful business woman, icon of the Orange Revolution, prime minister and detained opposition leader, Yulia Tymoshenko combines many facets. While she is seen in the West as glamorous revolutionary leader, she is seen by the Ukrainian citizens in a more differentiated view. By Stefan Bernhardt

A villain during the Orange Revolution that once put Ukraine onto the road towards democratization. After years of political struggle, Yanukovych emerged as the President of the country after the 2010 Presidential Election. By Roy Yu

Yashin is one of the youngest opposition leaders. He was one of the first demonstrators at the protests against the Duma Election fraud in 2011 and continues to be in the front row. In the West he is as of yet unknown but shows great political potential. By Stefan Bernhardt