Enemy number 1 of the Kremlin, Alexéi Navalni he has been poisoned, imprisoned and has been banned from moving. But, from his cell, the Russian opponent continues his fight against Vladimir Putin.
Navalni, 45, has gone through an “annus horribilis”, but at least this will have earned him the Sakharov Prize for the defense of human rights and freedom of thought, awarded by the European Parliament.
“He has fought without respite the corruption of the Vladimir Putin regime. This has cost him his freedom and almost his life, “said the president of that institution, David Sassoli, on Twitter.
In a decade, this blond and photogenic former Russian lawyer has become the main opponent of Vladimir Putin and his “party of thieves and swindlers”, as he refers to the political formation of the Russian president, United Russia.
In recent years, his comrades have been forced into exile, silenced or, as in the case of the opposition Boris Nemtsov, assassinated.
Ignored by the official media and without representation in Parliament, Navalni achieved notoriety in the networks with his investigative videos, in which he criticizes the corruption of the elites and Putin, his workhorse.
His videos, which begin with the tireless “Hello, I am Navalni,” denounce the extent of corruption in Russia.
It was after one of these investigations that the opponent was poisoned in August 2020, in Tomsk (Siberia).
There he began his medical and, later, judicial ordeal, which ended with his sentence to two and a half years in prison in February 2021 as a result of an opaque case of fraud.
From that case, the authorities began to tighten the nuts on the independent media and the critics of the Kremlin. Before the September legislative elections, the Navalni network, classified as “extremist”, was dismantled.
And although he has never been allowed to challenge Putin at the polls, Navalni has emerged as his main rival.
He made himself known by organizing, in 2011 and 2012, massive protests attended by thousands of people. In 2013, he came second in the Moscow municipal elections, behind a politician close to the Russian president.
Biting humor
Even from his cell, the opponent remains a thorn in the side of President Putin, who avoids saying his name.
From prison, he tries to keep the spirits of his supporters high. “Don’t worry,” Navalni declared on Instagram in September. “I will be free, at the latest, in the spring of 2051.”
For the legislative elections of September 2021, Navalni defended a “smart vote”, a strategy that consists of supporting the best placed candidates to defeat those in power.
His allies assured that it was a success and that the authorities had to falsify the results of the Moscow elections to save their acolytes.
Both for the opposition and for many Western countries, the poisoning and imprisonment of Alexei Navalni marked a turning point. Since then, the Kremlin no longer tolerates any criticism.
According to them, everything suggests that the security services wanted to eliminate it.
Navalni, who accuses Putin himself of ordering his death, narrowly survived.
European laboratories identified a Soviet military chemical agent similar to the Novichok.
The Kremlin denies any involvement and denounces that the opponent suffers from “persecution mania.”
Nationalist past
But, to his supporters, Navalni is a hero.
After spending five months in Germany, he returned to Russia on January 17, even though he knew he was going to be arrested, something the authorities did as soon as he stepped on Russian territory.
Since then, he has urged Russians “not to be afraid” and published an investigation claiming that Putin’s wealthy friends built him a lavish palace on the shores of the Black Sea.
President Putin had to deny the accusations on television, something exceptional, since Navalni’s video was viewed millions of times on YouTube.
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated to demand the release of the opponent, but the police quickly repressed the movement.
However, Navalni continues to publish messages on social networks, through his relatives and relatives, where he tells with irony his day to day in the Pokrov prison colony.
He also went on a 24-day hunger strike to protest his conditions of detention.
Poll after poll, Alexei Navalni continues to emerge as a controversial figure in Russia, where he has limited popularity.
The opponent, on the other hand, for a time flirted with a nationalism with racist overtones, about which it has never really been explained.
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Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
