Maria Nikolayevna Baronova (Russian: ????? ?????????? ????????) is a Russian chemist who has worked as a sales manager of lab equipment, journalist, and political spokesperson.
She is famous for being an activist of the opposition to President Vladimir Putin and, in particular, for having organized the Bolotnaya Square protests on May 6, 2012.
In February 2019, she joined Russian government television network RT to work on a charity project.Several newspapers, including The New Republic and Rolling Stone magazine, have praised her activist work, noting her fortitude in supporting Russia's opposition movement.
Reuters journalist Lucian Kim described her as embodying “the contradictions of Russians who love their country, warts and all, and seek to reconcile it with the rest of the world.”