The New Putin Generation

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Every night, news bulletins show the quiet, 42-year-old former law professor looking presidential as he visits hospitals, schools, factories, and farms. Cities across Russia are plastered with giant billboards featuring Putin and Medvedev and the slogan, "Together we will win!" The only candidates running against Medvedev are Communist Party boss Gennady Zyuganov, nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and an obscure politician named Andrei Bogdanov. Mikhail Kasyanov, a reform-minded former Prime Minister, was barred from the race after officials said his supporters had forged signatures on his petition to get on the ballot. Garry Kasparov, the chess champion turned opposition leader, dropped out, claiming that authorities prevented him from holding meetings with backers.

Many students recognize that the election is skewed. Some 51% of 18-to-24-year-olds told Levada Center that the election would be "just an imitation of competition." But few seem to care. "Yes, people say the authorities are harsh, that there is censorship, but I don't feel it. As an obedient citizen I'm absolutely satisfied with my life and my country," Sergei Karasev, 21, shouts above screeching guitars at St. Petersburg's Roks Club, one of hundreds of night spots that have mushroomed in the city.

Many young people believe Russia is merely experiencing growing pains in its transition to democracy. And the vast majority are certain their prospects are brighter than they would have been in Soviet times. "We have positive changes," says St. Petersburg student Yulia Dudchenko, 21. "Who said [democracy] would be easy? We've only lived with a democratic regime for 15 years."

Bush is BusinessWeek's Moscow bureau chief .