The facts: - August 20, 2020: Navalny is taken ill after being poisoned by the Russian security service (FSB) - January 17, 2021: Navalny returns to Russia after recovering, and is immediately detained - January 19, 2021: Navalny releases ‘Putin’s Palace. History of world’s largest bribe’ on YouTube.
The Russian state attempted to assassinate Alexei
Navalny, and now holds him under arrest. Who is this man,
and does he stand a chance against Putin?
Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok,
which soon was discovered to be the work of the Russian
government. The attempt on his life has received massive publicity. But who is he, and what did he do to cross Vladimir Putin?
Navalny sums up his agenda in his recent YouTube video, ‘Putin’s Palace. History of world’s largest bribe’. It is approaching 115 million views at time of writing, and concerns Putin’s secretly owned mansion. The documentary is devastating, and every allegation is meticulously evidenced. Putin’s secret country home is about as extravagant as you could imagine, with Navalny describing it as “A separate state within Russia” with “a single, irreplaceable Tsar. Putin." It includes hectares of land, a casino (illegal under Russian law), and dozens of pieces of furniture individually worth 1/2 the average Russian’s yearly earnings. There is also a description of Putin’s toy car collection.
These claims led to great unrest, with Moscow’s centre blocked off due to protests. Over 5,000 were jailed after crowds took to the streets in demonstrations against Putin’s obscene spending. The man behind those marches, Navalny, was already under arrest.
Alexander Branis, a Russian businessman who met Navalny personally on multiple occasions, shed light on the history around Putin’s headache. Navalny seems in many ways ideally poised to overthrow the current leadership. Branis describes him as a “skilful political operator”, and it’s clear to see why. Navalny has garnered international support, sidestepping censorship of Russian news outlets by using YouTube to air his views. He is a lawyer, and knows how to state his case and persuade his listeners. An example of his showmanship was his exposure of the Russian state as having arranged his murder, which he did over a phone call with a member of the Russian security service.
Navalny also has unprecedented support from the West: the EU, UK, and USA all put sanctions on Russia as a result of his poisoning. The EU also called for his release. However, this message of solidarity falls on deaf ears in the Kremlin. His imprisonment has continued, and this overwhelming overseas approval could prove problematic for Navalny’s reputation domestically. Putin puts forward an extremely strong image of Russia as independent from the West, and is heavily supported for it. Navalny’s reliance on foreign support to pressure the Russian government might be detrimental, with less westernised voters thinking of his dependence as unpatriotic. This narrows his base to a younger, more outward-looking audience.
He is left-leaning, but his political stance has been flexible, to say the least. He began as part of Yabloko, a liberal party. However, they dropped him for espousing nationalism. He joined the Narod afterwards, a fascist-associated group. He abandoned them for a more centrist view, then became more left wing. It seems the main constant throughout his political career has been pushing a hard line against corruption. It is doubtful that this alone will be enough to sway a sufficient voting group when it comes down to an election.
Navalny was also found guilty of embezzlement, fraud, and money laundering in cases that he claims were politically motivated. The aspersions are catastrophic given that Navalny’s USP is integrity. The facts are convoluted, but Branis commented that while his actions were “Not completely above board”, it was unlikely that those cases would suffice for criminal prosecution if it were not Navalny on trial.
Navalny is a mixed character: capable, educated, influential, but also happy to take whichever position suits him. It is unclear if he will ever have a chance at power, but for now, he continues to struggle against Putin.
And as a bonus, he has still not been (successfully) assassinated.
Written by Max Taylor
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