It is problems of the formation of capitalism in post-Soviet Russia that are analyzed in the article. The author proceeds from the view that socialism – in a modified form – still remains a significant factor of the mentioned transformation. While distinguishing particularities of the latter process, he poses a number of questions. Doesn’t the said process include retrospective motions? Isn’t the liberal project of transformations notable for a left-wing deviation? Did socialism exist in reality in the USSR? In what ways is democracy combined with authoritarianism in contemporary Russia?