April 26, 2021
By John Mulvaney
Staff Writer
Currently in Russia, there is a massive wave of protests centered around one man, Aleksei Navalny. Navalny is a Russian anti-President Vladimir Putin politician and has been the leader of the Russian Progressive Party since 2018.
According to the New York Times, Russian authorities moved Navalny to a hospital on April 19 for what was described as treatment with vitamins. The imprisoned opposition leader was nearly three weeks into a hunger strike when the Russian penitentiary system released a statement regarding the necessity of moving Navalny, whose personal doctors reported that he is suffering from life-threatening symptoms.
History teacher Mr. Newman said Navalny is one of Putin’s harshest and most influential critics.
On Aug. 20, Navalny was traveling to Moscow from Siberia on an airplane when he suddenly collapsed. He was taken to a hospital in Berlin, Germany where doctors confirmed he had been poisoned by a nerve agent.
Miraculously, Navalny survived. He stayed in Berlin for the duration of his recovery and eventually felt well enough to take a flight back to Moscow. Then he was placed under arrest by Russian Police for violating his probation, even though he was known to be sick and stuck in Germany.
Many people are adamant that the Russian government had a part to play in his poisoning, including Navalny himself. Newman said he agrees with this notion, as he stated that Navalny was most likely poisoned by someone working for the Russian government as others have been.
“Putin certainly would want Navalny out of the picture. Putin’s leadership and national influence began in 1999,” Newman said. “Many of his critics in politics, the media and society have disappeared, have been poisoned [and] have been arrested [or] sentenced to prison,” Newman said.
Navalny’s arrest and sentencing have caused a stir among his supporters in Russia. While in jail, Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation directly accused Putin of corruption and called for his supporters to take to the streets.
“Do not be silent. Resist. Take to the streets not for me but for you,” Navalny said to his supporters while detained.
“This could be a major crack in Putin’s armor as young Russians… might want to have a different executive run the county.”
On Jan. 23, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against corruption and the arrest of Navalny. The protests occurred all over Russia, but the bulk of demonstrations took place in Moscow, with a staggering 40,000 people possibly showing up to attend.
“This could be a major crack in Putin’s armor as young Russians… might want to have a different executive run the county,” Newman said.
Before the protests even began, Russian riot police began attempting to disperse crowds with batons and tear gas. Protestors responded with snowballs. Thousands of people were arrested, including allies of Navalny such as party members and influential supporters. Even Navalny’s wife was not safe as she was detained while leaving the Moscow Teatralnaya metro station.
The protesters demanded the release of Navalny and the resignation of Putin. Newman said he was skeptical the protestors would be able to pull the requests off.
Before the protests even began, Russian riot police began attempting to disperse crowds with batons and tear gas. Protestors responded with snowballs. Thousands of people were arrested, including allies of Navalny such as party members and influential supporters. Even Navalny’s wife was not safe as she was detained while leaving the Moscow Teatralnaya metro station.
The protesters demanded the release of Navalny and the resignation of Putin. Newman said he was skeptical the protestors would be able to pull the requests off.
“Russians have had a long tradition of a cult of personality and authoritarian leaders,” Newman said. “With Putin being the most recent of these kinds of rulers, Russia is used to this for centuries, and if the country looks to be going in the right direction, then the majority of Russian society is happy, and Putin will continue to reign,” Newman said.
More protests soon followed but were not as impactful or massive as the events on Jan. 23. They have subsided with opposition figures attempting to get the European Union’s leveraged against Putin.
Newman said he does not have much hope and that the demonstrators could not do much while Putin is still popular with the majority.
“Europe’s response will be to denounce Navalny’s sentence and imprisonment, just as the U.S. has. What will this mean? Not much I’m afraid unless Putin’s approval rating goes below the 60 percent threshold,” said Newman.
