After the fall of communism, Russia faced a choice between increasing tyranny and plunder or greater freedom, democracy, and ultimately prosperity.
Alexei Navalny embodied this alternative to Vladimir Putin's dark years. He represented the future that many longed for – a vision dealt a heavy blow by his death.
The interview obtained by Sky News confirms Mr Navalny's presentation. He reminds us of what he was, a new kind of politician in Russia, a charismatic young man, forward-looking and engaging.
“I am an optimist, and I hope that the 20 years of Putin’s rule will not be set in stone,” he told the camera in the interview four years ago. “We were not doomed to this, and we were not meant to continue.” direction.”
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An unseen interview with Navalny has been revealed
This was one of the last interviews he gave while in full health. A few months later, he was poisoned before spending three years in prison and eventually dying in custody.
It was never inevitable that Russia would follow the path it did under Putin, as Navalny always believed. But he was withering because of the damage he had done to the country.
“Putin's entire elite is completely corrupt, and has a completely colonial mentality. They have moved all their families, children, and assets to the West, and they are treating our country like a free hunting zone; that's just the way things are.”
Mr. Navalny and his organization have fought with extraordinary courage against this corruption, with videos that claim to show the lavish lifestyles of Mr. Putin and his elite.
The interview provides insight into what this means for his staff and supporters:
“It would probably be difficult to find a single person in our office who hasn't been arrested for 10, 15 or 30 days. Many of them have criminal cases against them that are either pending or ongoing.”
But some of Navalny's strongest words were against the West and Britain in particular for allowing Putin and his cronies to get away with it.
Navalny described lawyers and others in the UK who enable Russians to bring their money here and buy respect.
Alexei Navalny is shown behind bars in a police car after his arrest during protests in Moscow in 2012 Pic: AP
“These people, they will look very civilized, we will be happy to chat with them if they sit next to us, they will wear a tie and behave well, and at the same time serve the interests of absolute and complete bandits.” “.
It is a damning indictment from beyond the grave of the way London and the UK allegedly enabled Putin and his cronies to hide their dirty money abroad.
One Russian exile who knew Mr Navalny told us that the sanctions imposed by the UK in the wake of Mr Navalny's death were also inadequate.
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He added: “He loved humour, so I feel like he would laugh at this point because from what we've seen in recent days, if this is all we're going to see in response to Navalny's death, they look very weak and a bit pathetic.” “
Navalny has always maintained that the Putin years were an aberration. Russia will eventually return to a freer and more open future, he claimed.
While he was alive that vision seemed more plausible. Without him, it is difficult to imagine that Russia will recover from the ordeal imposed by Putin.
“I hope that 10 years from now, if you interview me again, I will be able to tell you how we overcame corrupt money laundering,” he told his interviewer.
And the prospects for Russia now seem even more hopeless without him.
