Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that combines ritual, play, music, and fighting elements. Originating among slaves in the northeastern region of Brazil during the seventeenth century, capoeira has historically been associated with the empowerment of marginalized communities. It has been used as a martial art to fight colonial oppression. In the twentieth century, it evolved into a formalized ritual that politically worked closely with the Black Marxist movement in Salvador, fighting for the recognition of the African heritage in Brazil. During the initial two decades of the twenty-first century, capoeira experienced global expansion. Nevertheless, its aspiration for liberation from dominant ideologies continues to inspire practitioners both within Brazil and internationally. In this chapter, I describe how practitioners in Russia have utilized capoeira, and how this country’s practitioners have interpreted the art’s rebellious spirit within a post-Soviet context. Lastly, I juxtapose the subversive configuration of capoeira with the endeavors undertaken by dominant state powers to employ martial arts as a political instrument to project strength, authority, and the subjugation of others.