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1. Was Navalny’s condition expected to improve in this way?
– German doctors have said that he is constantly improving. So now they have woken him up from his artificial coma. He is gradually removed from the respirator. According to the Charité Hospital press release, Navalny is responding to the allegation and the situation is now as good as it can be. What we still do not know is whether he has suffered any serious physical or mental harm.
– Therefore, it is not yet clear whether Navalny can regain the role of Russia’s most prominent opposition politician. He is known for his healthy lifestyle, runs regularly and according to his press secretary Kira Jarmysj “healthy as crazy”. You should be in good physical condition to recover, but it all depends on the severity of the injuries you have received.
2. What are the reactions in Russia?
– In the opposition and especially among the followers of Navalny, the joy is unlimited. Navalny as an opposition politician is difficult to replace. No one else has built such an extensive network, with offices across Russia, and no one has been as effective in revealing just how corrupt Putin’s regime is. Navalny is the only Russian opposition politician who has repeatedly inspired people to take to the streets and demonstrate against Putin.
– The Kremlin is still silent. This has been the tactic ever since Navalny was poisoned: people try to keep it quiet and act like it’s not really very serious. Russian state media have focused on spreading conspiracy theories, something we can trust they will continue to do.
3. What does it mean for Russian politics that Navalny is now surviving in all probability?
– It depends on the condition it is in. If Navalny makes a full recovery, he will emerge stronger from this crisis. It will be much more difficult for his critics to maintain that he is actually cooperating with the Kremlin. Navalny will also carry an even stronger international weight: in Berlin he was received almost like a statesman. If before it was relatively famous internationally, now it is world famous.
– For the Kremlin, it is twofold. Had Navalny died, the accusations against the Kremlin and the sanctions now awaiting Russia would likely have been even worse. But if Navalny not only survives but also recovers, it will be an even bigger problem for the Putin regime. He will appear not only as a tenacious survivor, but as the moral victor.
