Putin, and that Putin "may be turning into one of those archetypal figures that occur throughout Russian history, from Ivan the Terrible to Peter the Great and Stalin: a strongman with mystical powers, attracting uncritical devotion from his followers". Payments In an article published in The Guardian in December 2011, mention was made of reports that some Nashi members were being paid to attend rallies. This was based on a Moscow Times report saying that a journalist overheard a demonstrator telling another that he only participated in a particular rally because he had been paid 500 rubles, and on a Time article that quoted pro-Kremlin activists as saying that free meals at McDonald's were one of their main rewards for attending the rallies. Allegations of spying on opposition groups In early February 2009, Anna Bukovskaya, a St. Petersburg Nashi activist, publicly claimed that from January 2008 until February 2009, she had coordinated a group of 30 young people (not Nashi members) who had been tasked to infiltrate branches of the banned National Bolshevik Party, Yabloko's youth wing and United Civil Front in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh and six other cities. Bukovskaya said that the agents were to inform her, and she, in turn, passed the information to senior Nashi official Dmitry Golubyatnikov, who was allegedly in contact with "Surkov's people" in the Kremlin. The agents, who were paid 20,000 rubles ($550) per month, provided information on planned and past events together with pictures and personal information on activists and leaders, including their contact numbers. On February 3, 2009, Bukovskaya told Youth Yabloko, which she had joined six weeks prior, that she was being paid to monitor their activities and to handle people in other opposition groups. The creation of a political party In May 2012, the leader of Nashi, Yakemenko, announced his intention to establish the parallel "Smart Russia" political party. It was established at the Nashi Congress that month and Nashi Commissar was elected as the Smart Russia political party chairman. The Smart Russia political party was officially registered in June 2012. See also Lion Versus Nashism Nashi (1991) StopXam (organization) Young Guard of United Russia Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union Notes References Further reading Atwal, Maya, and Edwin Bacon. "The youth movement Nashi: contentious politics, civil society, and party politics." East European Politics 28.3 (2012): 256-266. Wales, Oscar. "Skinheads and Nashi: What are the reasons for