The courage of Alexei Navalny galvanised his movement. Putting him behind bars wasn’t enough for Vladimir Putin
Opposition is indispensable in a democracy, and unacceptable in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. He has decided he no longer needs the thin veneer of legitimacy offered by the barest minimum of tolerance. This week thousands marched to demand the release of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as doctors warned that his life was in imminent peril due to his hunger strike over prison mistreatment, which he ended on Friday. On Monday, a Moscow court will rule on the future of his organisation using secret evidence. If – as many anticipate – it finds that his Anti-Corruption Foundation and regional political headquarters are extremist, then funding or even being involved with them would become a criminal offence, bearing fines and long jail terms. Most of Mr Navalny’s key aides are already detained or have fled. Lower-level activists know they face a choice between prison or keeping their heads down.
The crackdown is a perverse tribute to the resilience of the movement that has endured during Mr Navalny’s near-fatal novichok poisoning, his jailing on trumped-up charges when he courageously chose to return to Russia, and his appalling and dangerous mistreatment in prison. It has not only highlighted eye-watering corruption, but embarrassingly exposed the operations of the security services. Its success threatened to normalise opposition. Above all, Mr Navalny’s bravery showed that it was possible to defy the president. Mr Putin’s ruthlessness is showing that no one should try.
