While Ukraine continues to stand alone as the only Democracy willing to fight Russia head on, the only prominent Russian citizen who was willing to face Putin head on has just died in prison.
If you haven’t already, watch the 2022 documentary about him. It is worth noting when Navalny left Russia to get emergency medical treatment for Putin’s first attempted assassination via poisoning in 2019 he vowed to return to his homeland. He knew he would likely be arrested as soon as he got off the plane and that’s exactly what happened.
Prison officials claim he was sick when died while taking a walk but the problem is we have footage from the day before when he was in court. He’s clearly seen smiling and joking with the judge. That actually makes it much more obvious Navalny was likely poisoned.
Reactions from within Russia have largely been a mix of outrage, anger and mourning. In a video clip that’s gone viral on Xitter, an elderly woman said to undercover reporters she too many young Russians are terrified of the government and are afraid to speak out. She said they don’t understand how much power they really have and this is why the overwhelming majority of people who’ve taken to the streets have been elderly or clergy.
The elderly woman went on to say–quite bravely–that Putin is a liar and a murderer who’s responsible for the deaths of over 200,000 Russian soldiers and devastating Ukraine. She said Russia is isolated from the rest of the world because of Putin.
That brings me to Navalny’s last message in his documentary to his supporters in Russia:
“Listen, I’ve got something very obvious to tell you. You’re not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong.” – Alexei Navalny
He said it first in English and then repeated it in Russian at his producer’s request.
Did you know the Russian government is throwing people in prison for 15 days for daring to publicly mourn Navalny? Yes, really. The day after an orthodox clergy announced he would lead a public vigil for Navalny, Russian cops showed up at his church and arrested him. Even though he had the man killed, Putin is STILL afraid on Navalny. That should tell you how weak Putin really is.
By the way the above picture is the Wall of Grief National Monument in Moscow. Commemorated by Putin, the memorial was made to–wait for it–honor and remember the countless Russians who were persecuted and killed during Stalin’s reign of terror. Now local police are chasing away anyone who dares to linger at the monument to mourn Navalny for more than a few seconds. Likely on Putin’s orders.
You can only suppress a population the size of Russia’s for so long. Obama publicly warned Putin of the high (political) cost he would have to pay for repeatedly silencing the collective voices of the Russian people almost 10 years ago.
This brings me back to why Navalny felt so strongly about returning to Russia despite knowing what would happen to him. He believed real change in Russia must come from the Russian people. Now that he is dead, his widow Yulina and others have vowed to continue the work he started.
February 24 will mark the two year anniversary of the start of the conflict in Ukraine. After four months of distraction sparked by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Europe and NATO have started to return their full attention to supporting Ukraine. Right now, the only country not afraid to fight Russia head on is clearly Ukraine.
In the absence of military aid from the United States, a growing number of European countries are ramping up the speed and amount of aid they are providing to Ukraine. Despite Russia’s best efforts, Putin has largely failed to break the spirit of the Ukranian people.
The day before Russia announced Navalny’s death Zelensky said if the U.S. sends military aid, over 3 million Ukrainians displaced to other counties by the conflict will return home. That’s a pretty huge tell and by now the world should know he’s not bluffing.
Zelensky wants to retake Crimea which was annexed by Russia in 2014 and the Ukrainian military has already carried out a lot of successful surgical drone strikes on Russian military assets in the region. A MASSIVE military offensive is clearly being planned and momentum is on Ukraine’s side.
What does this have to do with the situation in Russia? It’s simple: When Crimea falls, it will set off a chain reaction within Russia. The fact that a military one fifth the size of Russia’s was able to defeat it will break morale domestically in Russia. More importantly, people will revolt in Russia.
Navalny’s death has started to unleash a lot of pent-up emotion within many in Russia. Most in Russia know by now Ukraine is where young Russians are being sent largely to die. It’s a massively unpopular war in Russia and despite Putin’s best efforts, the anti-war voices refuse to stay silent.
If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Serene Adventure Politics and News 