In this article, the authors consider the dynamics of the civic sector in post-Soviet Russia in terms of its structure, membership, self-identification, basic spheres of activities, leaders’ personal data, patterns of funding and of partnership with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as of interactions with the authorities. The article is based on the results of an international research project carried out by Finnish and Russian sociologists in the city of Tver in 2004 to 2005. Having described some peculiarities of local NGO activities in one of Russia’s regions, the researchers outlined general logic of the development and of functioning of Russian NGOs.