Civil Initiatives Committee

The Civil Initiatives Committee (CIC or KGI; Russian: Комитет гражданских инициатив; КГИ; Komitet grazhdanskikh initsiativ) is a liberal community of politicians, experts, and public figures. It positions itself as a non-partisan association of professionals in key areas of public life, including the economy, science, education, healthcare, and culture, united around the idea of modernising the country and strengthening democratic institutions.

The committee was established on April 5, 2012, by Alexei Kudrin and a number of other politicians and public figures, with the stated aim of determining and implementing optimal options for the country's development.

The name of the committee was co-authored with Andrey Nechaev. Plans to create a political party under the same name were postponed after Kudrin held discussions with Vladimir Putin, following which it was decided that establishing a committee was more appropriate at that stage. Subsequently, under the chairmanship of Nechaev, the party Civic Initiative was established; Kudrin did not become a member of this party.

The formation of the committee followed the 2011 legislative elections and the subsequent protests, including rallies held on Bolotnaya Square on December 10 and on Academician Sakharov Avenue in Moscow on December 24, 2011. In a statement announcing the creation of the committee, published on Kudrin's official website, it was stated that the elections had demonstrated citizens' desire to exert genuine influence over state affairs and to participate in determining the country's future direction.