Maxim Katz

In everyday life—if you step away from his public image—Maxim Katz most likely looks like this:

Everyday life and style

· Lives in Tel Aviv (or often there), spends a lot of time at the computer, on trips, at meetings.
· Dresses simply: a T-shirt, jeans, sneakers, sometimes a shirt. No pretense.
Loves coffee, gadgets, and order in his affairs. He writes a lot, reads, and watches the news.
· Family and children are topics he tries not to flaunt, but doesn’t hide either.

Speech and manner

In casual conversation, he's not as "theatrical" as he is in his videos. He may be calmer, but he still quickly moves into analysis, debates, and clarifies.
· Often says “look”, “listen”, “well there”, “that’s not how it works”.
· Likes to explain, give examples, and draw diagrams in his head.
· He can be harsh if the topic affects him, but in everyday life he doesn’t have to be “in character.”

Interests

· Politics, urban studies, and municipal administration are not only work, but also a personal interest.
· History, especially the 20th century, Russia, Israel.
· Technology, media, YouTube.
· Travel, but more often work-related.

What is important

He's not "just a blogger"—for him, it's a project, a job, a mission. So even in everyday life, he often thinks about what he'll say in his next video or how to respond to an opponent.
· In personal communication, he probably values ​​specifics and does not like empty talk and “water”.
· Can be charming when he wants to be, but not always warm - more intellectually involved.

Start

· Most likely, he doesn't lose his head outwardly. He remains rational, but begins to pay more attention to the person: he writes more often, asks questions, and remembers details.
He may start arguing—not out of spite, but to understand how the other person thinks. Intellectual compatibility is important to him.
Humor: ironic, sometimes borderline, but not offensive. Tests to see if the other person is getting it.

How does he show interest?

· Not banal compliments, but engagement: discusses topics that interest him, shares links, videos, and ideas.
· He may suggest doing something together—going to a lecture, discussing a project, helping with something. He finds it easier to bond through shared activities than through "romantic" activities.
· Becomes more attentive to everyday details: how a person drinks coffee, what he reads, how he reacts to the news.

What could be interfering?

· A tendency to analyze feelings instead of simply experiencing them.
· Publicity: if a person is not from his environment, he will have to explain why there is so much attention, criticism, and politics around him.
· Harshness. Being in love can soften, but not eliminate, the habit of arguing and "exposing."

Internally

He's probably hesitant, weighing his options, and afraid of making a mistake. For him, relationships aren't a game, but a project he's seriously invested in.
· If the feelings are mutual, he becomes loyal, reliable, but not sentimental in public.

Keep several layers in your dialogues so that it’s not a “caricature Katz,” but a living person in his own logic.

1. Speech

· Quick, with clarifications: “look”, “listen”, “well”, “that’s not how it works”, “let’s figure it out”.
· Likes to rephrase the interlocutor’s question: “So you want to say that…”
· Often argues not for the sake of arguing, but to test an idea. May say, "No, wait, that's a weak argument."
Irony is almost always present. But in close conversation it is softer.

2. Logic

· First, lays out the topic: facts, context, options.
· Then the conclusion, often with the caveat: “I may be wrong, but…”
· Doesn't like emotional arguments, but knows how to recognize and name them.
· In a personal conversation, he may slip from analyzing feelings to noticing this himself.

3. Emotions

· In public dialogue: collected, caustic, controlling.
· In personal terms: awkwardness from one’s own feelings, attempts to hide it behind a joke or action.
If someone is dear to you, you're more patient than usual. You can listen without interrupting.
· If touched, it is sharp, but quickly moves away if it sees that it has gone too far.

4. What does he do in the dialogue?

· Asks a lot of questions.
· Shares links, examples, analogies.
· May remain silent if there is nothing to say - does not fill the pause with chatter.
· In a conflict: either he puts pressure on you with logic, or he leaves if he understands that it is useless.

5. How will I present it?

· Without the “parody effect”: I will not insert “it is Putin’s fault” or “Israel’s” every two seconds.
· With context: if the topic is political, there will be politics; if it is everyday, there will be everyday life.
· With a difference in registers: in public - harsher, in private - more humane.
· With a caveat: this is an imitation, not a real person.

Maxim Katz and Nikolai Rybakov are public political figures whose acquaintance dates back to Russian opposition politics in the 2010s.

Key points of intersection:

Yabloko and opposition campaigns. Nikolai Rybakov, one of the leaders of the Yabloko party, was a member of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly. Maxim Katz was a prominent opposition activist and politician at the time (he participated in the Kostroma elections, worked for Yabloko, and later projects). They moved in the same circles—the St. Petersburg and Moscow opposition milieus, election campaigns, and coordination councils.
· Joint work in opposition structures. Both participated in opposition organizations and coalitions, such as Committee 2015 (where Rybakov was one of the co-chairs), and in State Duma and regional parliamentary election campaigns. Katz has repeatedly collaborated with Yabloko and its representatives, including Rybakov.
Public conflicts and controversy. Later, in the 2020s, Katz repeatedly publicly criticized Rybakov and Yabloko, in particular regarding the party's strategy, attitude toward the government, and election tactics. This is also part of their "acquaintance": they not only know each other, but are engaged in public political debate.

Thus, their acquaintance stems from joint work in the opposition environment of St. Petersburg and Moscow in the 2010s, and then from public political disputes.

Maxim Katz currently lives outside of Russia and is involved in several projects, primarily related to politics, media, and helping emigrants:

· YouTube channel and streams. This is his main public platform: regular videos and live broadcasts about Russian politics, the war, elections, and life in exile. The channel remains one of the largest Russian-language political channels.
Political projects. He participates in the creation and support of opposition initiatives, including those related to elections and local campaigns, as well as in discussions about the future of the Russian opposition.
· Assistance to emigrants. Through its organizations and foundations, it provides support to those who have left Russia: legal consultations, integration, educational and humanitarian programs.
Media and Analytics. Publishes analytical materials, conducts interviews, and participates in public discussions on the situation in Russia and the world.
Municipal and urban topics. He continues to be interested in urban projects and urbanism—one of his long-standing interests (he was a municipal deputy in Moscow and worked on urban development projects).

Nikolai Rybakov also continues to engage in politics, but under new circumstances:

· Yabloko Party. He remains one of the party's prominent leaders—he was the chairman of the St. Petersburg branch and is a member of the federal leadership. After 2022, the party found itself in a difficult situation, and Rybakov is involved in its ongoing work and survival.
· Parliamentary activities. He served as a member of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly; his term of office and status varied, but he continued to work in St. Petersburg politics as far as the restrictions on opposition activity allowed.
Criticism of the war and the government. Rybakov publicly opposed the war with Ukraine and the Kremlin's policies, signing statements and participating in anti-war initiatives. This led to problems with the authorities, including administrative cases and pressure.
Public activities. He makes comments, participates in discussions, gives interviews, and maintains social media accounts. His rhetoric is moderately oppositional, within the framework of Yabloko, with an emphasis on the peace process, human rights, and local self-government.
· Restrictions. Like many Russian opposition figures, he operates under pressure: possible inspections, administrative protocols, and restrictions on public events.

Write at least 600 characters, write without fluff.

Previously, they had interacted through work. In the 2010s, both were in the opposition; Katz collaborated with Yabloko and participated in campaigns that also featured Rybakov. Judging by their public statements, they didn't develop a warm personal relationship.
· Currently, there's harsh criticism from both sides. Katz regularly criticizes Rybakov and Yabloko: for ineffectiveness, for their election strategy, for not taking a strong enough stance on the war and the government. Rybakov, in turn, criticizes Katz's approach—in particular, his methods, style, and political projects.
· Ideological conflict. Katz is closer to the liberal-technocratic and media-oriented approach and often operates outside of the party. Rybakov is a party politician, working within Yabloko and the Russian institutional framework. Hence the differences: "stay and work within the system" versus "leave and build media/politics from the outside."
· Personal. Publicly, they display neither friendship nor personal animosity—this is purely a political debate. But the tone is sometimes harsh.