In Russia, some vigils have led to mass arrests, a sign that one of Putin's greatest foes, even in death, remains a threat to the Kremlin. Across Russia in the 24 hours or so since news of Navalny's death, about 340 people were arrested at memorial services after his death, the human rights group OVD-Info reported.
Across the city, men were seen filling more garbage bags with flowers near the Kremlin, where Boris Nemtsov, an opponent of Putin, was assassinated nine years ago this month. Russian citizens still regularly place flowers and candles here.
Killed: Jailed Russian political leader Alexei Navalny.credit: AP
In February 2015, an unknown assailant fired seven or eight shots from a Makarov pistol at Nemtsov, 55, killing him almost instantly.
Once again, in Putin's Russia, a prominent political opponent has paid with his life. Navalny, Nemtsov's heir and friend, died at the age of 47 secretly in a Russian prison. Russian state media, including RT, had already reported that the prisoner was suffering from an embolism, information obtained from anonymous official sources. The initial announcement was then changed to “Sudden Death Syndrome”, then to “Unknown”.
Navalny's death has been reported in Russian media but only in passing. As US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said: “If a country's newspapers are full of good news, that country's prisons will be full of good people.”
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The focus in most media outlets – albeit subdued – was on the so-called outrageous allegations made by Western leaders. None of the news bulletins on Russian state television made the headlines. On the most watched channel, Russia 1, it took almost 45 minutes to mention him, and he devoted only 35 seconds to a report.
It seems that Navalny, like Nemtsov, will soon become like George Orwell 1984 It is described as impersonal. In death, as in life, the Kremlin tries to pretend that Alexei Navalny does not exist.
For many, Navalny embodies a more hopeful future for Russia. His death is unlikely to spark a wave of rage and fury in the streets. But for Putin – who is also now said to be considering sending nuclear weapons into space – he clearly represents a growing threat.
His death, just like that of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, should be taken to mean that Putin is not as confident of himself or of the future as he would like to appear. That Putin has poisoned, detained, and killed his opponents is by no means news. But this moment, coming at a critical time in the war in Ukraine, should serve as a wake-up call to the world.
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This devastating murder comes one month before the Russian presidential elections. There is no doubt that Russian elections are not free or fair at all. Any genuine dissident is banned – if he has not previously been imprisoned, exiled or killed. Putin is now in a position to be a dictator for life.
But Navalny's death could mark a profound turning point for modern Russia. As Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former political prisoner and CEO of the Yukos oil company, said this weekend, the West must stop indulging in this charade and declare the elections and their results illegitimate.
“Western leaders must never again fuel Putin’s belief that being a criminal boss is the same as being a head of state,” he wrote in his article. POLITICO.
Declaring Putin's regime illegal would also deal a heavy blow to those who shamefully continue to do business with the Kremlin despite sanctions. They must also know that their corrupt deals with this regime are worthless.
In order to properly honor Navalny's memory, the time of weakness and appeasement must end.
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