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Alexey Navalny is a registered trademark. He is charismatic, fearless, determined. And it is already known far beyond Russia. However, his return will not help the opposition – a comment for “Deutsche Welle”.
First, the good news for Putin’s opponents: the loudest of all the Kremlin’s critics has returned to Russia. Healed and full of energy.
It is true that he was arrested immediately after arriving in Moscow. But, first, it is “just” a preventive detention (preventive measure), and second, Navalny has supporters who will continue the fight if he remains in prison longer.
For example, the fight for the parliamentary elections to be held this year. Navalny’s “smart voting” strategy aims to divert as many voters as possible from the ruling United Russia party to record its weakest election result to date.
This can work, as was seen in some places during local elections last year. However, in general, the “smart vote” will not change Russia’s political system. Nor will it strengthen the opposition. Because there is no opposition in Russia. The parties Navalny asks for a vote are just a toothless pseudo-opposition. They are completely subordinate groups that relentlessly accept all the decisions of the Kremlin. This will not change after Navalny’s return. Which is bad news, not just for Putin’s opponents.
Putin’s most dangerous opponent
Alexey Navalny is a registered trademark. He is charismatic, fearless, determined. Furthermore, it is already well known beyond the borders of Russia. Even more: Navalny has become Russia’s most important opposition politician. Apparently the Kremlin is afraid of him; this is evidenced by the enormously overreaction of the authorities upon his return to the country.
Dozens of police buses, hundreds of security officers, no journalists – the arrival hall at Vnukovo airport, where Navalny was originally scheduled to land, looked like a real fortress. It was also a show of force by the state against its most disobedient citizen.
All of this sounds very dramatic, but at the same time it reinforces the image of the fighter. The authorities will no longer be able to describe him as an “insignificant blogger” or a “Berlin patient”, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had called him. By the way, his boss, Putin, never named Navalny.
Russian justice has already had the opportunity several times to throw Navalny behind bars for a long time. But it did not. As they say, following the instructions of the Kremlin. Because that would be too “honor” for a “minor blogger”, in the sense that it would get too much attention. And that is exactly what has changed now: Navalny has become too famous and too dangerous for Putin.
Bold but alone
But Navalny is alone. Because there is no party behind him, he does not lead masses of people and remains a brave loner.
It is true that his videos of corrupt government officials have been viewed by millions of Russians. And a few years ago, many of his followers, mostly young people, followed his call to protest in the streets and squares. But their protests were crushed by force. Thousands of protesters have been arrested and have been systematically intimidated since then. And some of them even ended up in prison.
When, on the eve of my return to Russia, a group of activists asked on the Internet for a mass reception for Navalny at the airport, his colleagues from Moscow and St. Petersburg were visited by the police. But other opposition figures were threatened that they could end up behind bars if they went to the airport. There were also dozens of detainees at Vnukovo airport. The Kremlin remains a very powerful adversary.
