title: Guarding Against the Future
abstract: Ilya Kukulin's chapter focuses on the “List of 100 Books” proposed by Vladimir Putin and illustrates how the ruling elites of modern-day Russia consider art as an instrument to instill “correct” values in society. While national media almost never mention the project after 2013 (primarily due to the annexation of Crimea), the idea of the list with compulsory books for leisure reading remained active and in demand. The author therefore questions why the “List of 100 Books” continues the Soviet pr