Navalny & More

The memories of a Moaning Alexei Navalny on an August the twentieth flight from Serbia to Russia are still fresh in many Russian’s minds, as Navalny was arrested this week, after perceivably boldly flying back to his homeland and his immediate arrest.

Navalny is of course one of the most prominent opposition leaders to and very Anti-Putin and has historically not been on good terms with Putin and his government. Now as thousands flood the streets out of anger over Navalny’s arrest and sentencing, and now Anti-Government, Anti-Corruption, and very Anti-Putin protesters are uniting and exercising their freedoms to protest like never seen in Russia’s history. Navalny has become more and more prominent in the past years and has launched multiple investigations against Putin and his allies and he has made multiple documentaries and pieces which dive into the corruption of the Russian Government. As many of us know, he was poisoned and was treated in Germany, and following the poisoning, there was massive speculation over what hand Putin played in the poisoning. Following his coma, he had to go through months of recovery, re-learning basic skills. This however, wan’t the first time the Russian government had tried to prevent him from working in the opposition as there have been multiple times as he gained prominence where the Russian Government would levy criminal cases against him, widely proven to be untrue, however, when he was poisoned he was on probation, and was treated in Germany, and following the poisoning there was massive speculation over what hand Putin played in the poisoning. Following his coma, he had to go through months of recovery, re-learning basic skills. This however, wan’t the first time the Russian government had tried to prevent him from working in the opposition as there have been multiple times as he gained prominence where the Russian Government would levy criminal cases against him, widely proven to be untrue, however, when he was poisoned he was on probation, and in Russia you must appear once a month in a Moscow Court if you are on parole, and since he didn’t, because he was in a coma, the Russian Government has justified their detainment of the politician.

Despite the fact that he was obviously targeted by the government, he made the decision and announced he would return to Russia. “This was an incredibly bold move when you consider the fact that the Russian Government were obviously going to take some form of action and whatever they did, it wouldn’t be light”, said the FFP’s Russia Correspondent. “The scenes of his immediate arrest would of course raise anger, especially among the younger generations, which explains the protests we have seen”.

Navalny upon arrival in Russia on January 17, was immediately apprehended by Russian Police and taken to a pre-trial detention center, under accusations of violation of Parole.Following his detainment, he was taken to what can most easily be described as a Kangaroo Court in a Police Office, which was of course not nearly in compliance with Russian Judicial laws, but is still valid. The Russian Government is pushing for a Ten Year Sentence and he has already received a 2 and a ½ year sentence, which his defense team plans to appeal.

Navalny’s team like Navalny himself weren’t quite done yet, and published a documentary which explored Putin’s corruption as well as supposed Money-laundering and massive criminal and fraudulent actions taken by Putin and members of his party. His team released a now trending documentary on the Russian Government’s supposed corruption, called, “Putin’s Palace: History of World’s Largest Bribe” which is now causing even more unrest, much to Putin and his allies' disdain. The arrest and the poisoning are seemingly enough, so a corruption documentary that gets millions and millions of views in Russia and across the world has poured gallons of petrol on the flames. “This is the perfect political move, it is like going from playing chess to playing checkers”, said Nicholai Dimitirhof, an author on Russian Politics.International condemnation and protest has been seconded by the over 40,000 people who came out in protest in Russia. Shockingly, a much more conservative, government supporting, rural areas, also came out in strong protest against Putin. Despite the protest the Russian government has refused to give an inch, rather, they have held firm in their Anti-Navalny position. It's a political move of genius on both sides, one because this will cause sympathy toward them and will strengthen their cause, the other because it silences the opponent. As scenes of Navalny making a heart with his hands while behind glass to a fearful wife become a much seen symbol of democracy in Russia, his work and opposition will only continue and will only grow in power.