Detained Russian activist Alexei Navalny was transferred to indefinite solitary confinement last week.
Now Navalny, Russia’s most prominent political prisoner, lives in a small cell of about eight square meters in a prison camp in Melekhovo, 250 kilometers east of Moscow.
– Now the situation is very bad, I must admit, says Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s chief adviser, up to The Guardian.
– I can’t meet him
By placing Navalny in solitary confinement, Russian authorities have restricted the activist’s access to the outside world. It could have serious consequences for opposition leader Navalny, warns Volkov.
– Now his communication with the outside world is very limited, his health is in danger and his physical condition may worsen, says Volkov.
Navalny has already communicated with the outside world through his advisers, lawyers and family members. His regular updates from prison have to some extent protected the activist, Volkov believes.
Discipline your employees: – Block them
Now it is bare Navalny’s lawyers can visit him, but there are major restrictions on how the meetings can take place.
– They are not allowed to meet him. They can only talk to him through opaque glass, Volkov says.
In practice, this means that lawyers cannot assess Navalny’s physical condition.
Putin misjudged
Previously, Volkov and others in Navalny’s inner circle had calculated that it was not in the interests of the Russian authorities to cause the activist’s death in prison, because Vladimir Putin would face strong criticism.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the calculations of the Navalny apparatus changed.
– Our assessment of how crazy Putin actually is was wrong. He doesn’t care about sanctions or international reactions, says Volkov.
The power outage visible from space
Now the adviser clings to the hope that Navalny may in the future have value for the autocratic regime of Vladimir Putin.
– Putin is clearly not in close touch with reality, but even he considers possible future scenarios, says Volkov.
Like, for example, possible peace negotiations with Ukraine.
– In such circumstances, Navalny is a potential bargaining chip. It could be important, says the chief adviser.
