And now, from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN, the Axviles, with your

host, David Axelrod.

It's hard to remember and meet our sometimes-quality and discordant politics that there are real heroes

all over the world who are fighting valiantly for freedom and democracy in civil society.

One of those heroes is Vladimir Karamertsa, who has spent his entire life fighting for democracy

and civil society in Russia and has almost lost his life twice to poisoning, presumably

at the hands of Putin's minions.

He was a protégé, an ally of Boris Nemsov, the great Russian reform leader who was assassinated

just steps from the Kremlin in 2015.

And he carries Nemsov's work on today at great personal risk.

Vladimir was a fellow at the Institute of Politics this spring, where I had a chance to sit down

and talk to him about his life, his work, and Putin's Russia.

Vladimir Karamertsa, so good to be with you, so good to be with you this spring at the

Institute of Politics.

You continue to be, despite the discouragement, we'll call it that and people will understand

what we mean later in this, a huge force for change in Russia.

But you kind of come by these instincts naturally.

This is not a new thing.

Your family has been involved in journalism, involved in activism, involved in the movement

for reform.

Tell me about the family and how you came to be who you are.

Thank you, David.

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