The case of Russian opponent Alexei Navalni appears to be spiraling out of control for the Kremlin, to the point that it could be on track to become the biggest challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s leadership in years.
Arrested upon returning to his country after surviving an attack against him with a toxic agent – which they blame the regime’s secret service – thousands of people marched in defense of Navalni last Saturday, of which some 3,600 are still detained. , including his wife.
The event, which once again puts in the spotlight the freedoms and constitutional and democratic guarantees in a country so transcendental for the global geostrategic balance, was part of the first conversation between Putin and the new US president, Joe Biden. According to the White House, the Democrat expressed his concern about the “poisoning” of the opponent and his support for Ukraine by the “Moscow aggression”, but also spoke about the progress of the new New Start nuclear treaty, which apparently is well under way And it could be a good start for the normalization of Washington-Moscow relations after the chaotic era of Donald Trump and the accusations of Russian interference in the elections that gave the tycoon victory in 2016.
Convictions and requests for release abound on the sides of Europe, but there is still no green light on possible sanctions, pending a trip to Moscow by the head of EU diplomacy, Joseph Borrell.
But on the streets of Moscow, and of the main Russian cities, tension and preparations for future marches continue until Navalni, who in theory will be in pretrial detention until February 15, is released.
According to the Russian authorities, the West is using the case to destabilize the country. But on the ground, the key is that the only thing that seems to prevent Putin’s waning power from perpetuating is the very popular Navalni.
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