Alexei Navalny, the most prominent face of political opposition in Russia has died, as reports in Russian media are saying. As per the initial reports, Navalny has died in prison. In Russia headed by President Vladimir Putin for last few decades, opposing the all-powerful Putin is a very huge thing to start with. But Navalny has been doing it for years, and openly. He not only contested elections against Putin (which Putin won) but also created institutionalised network of people any political movement needs to be a social force. Navalny has dodged death many times in past and created an aura around himself of being a valiant fighter challenging Putin in his own domain.
Navalny was often seen as an ‘irritant’ to Putin. One who refused to quit and kept going on. In spite of number of impediments in his political path, allegedly ‘created’ by the Russian state, Navalny always appeared to find a way. And thus, he solidified his reputation as a political surviour, which in Russian context, is a huge thing especially if you are opposed to Putin.
Navalny was active in Russian politics since the 2000s. In his initial years of political involvement, he jumped into local politics, especially that in Russian capital Moscow. He did make waves and rose through political ranks in the initial years but his time in domestic and global limelight predominantly came in 2010s.
It’s interesting to examine how Navalny battled political obstacles to keep on going.
Russian parliamentary elections and protests (2011)
The Russian parliamentary elections held in the month of December in 2011 drew widespread criticism of election fraud. Although mass anti-Putin protests in Russia are rare, Navalny was part of a MOscow demonstration that drew about 6000 people. Hundreds of people were arrested along with Navalny. He was handed a jail sentence of maximum 15 days.
Though this looks like a minor thing, the adversity of having been sentenced to jail turned into opportunity as Navalny suddenly became a prominent name. He seized the opportunity and began projecting himself globally. After this arrest and sentencing, his blog quickly became available in English and he was able to address wider audience in the unofficial lingua franca.
He had savvy web presence already, but as some Russian news outlets claimed, the arrest in 2011 made him an offline leader in addition to being an online one.
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It is important to note that under the watch of a president like Putin, who has ruthlessly crushed opposition, having come so far was in itself an achievement for Navalny. But he didn’t stop there.
After his release from jail, Navalny made an open call to resist Putin.
It was not on Navalny’s mind to challenge Putin directly in presidential elections, but he had taken initial steps.
In 2012, an anti-Putin rally Navalny organised in Moscow drew tens of thousands of people.
A new party (2012)
Supporters of the Krmlin-critic formed a party with a name “The People’s Alliance”. The Russian bureaucracy did everything it could to deny recognition but his supporters applied with different name each time recognition was denied. After initial reluctance, Navalny joined the party.
This again, was a statement against Putin as his critic had become leader of a political party.
Challenging Putin in presidential elections (2018)
In a country where even a simple challenge to the president suddenly put a leader in political crosshairs and more, Navalny openly declared that he would contest presidential elections.
Navalny was attacked by unknown assailants just outside his office in 2017. He was sprayed with a dye that can potentially damage a person’s eye. In another similar attack, Navalny reportedly lost most of the sight of his right eye.
To deter him from contesting elections, Russian bureaucracy and state machinery slapped jail sentences on him and Russia’s election body disbarred him from contesting.
Arrests and hospitalisation around Duma elections (2019)
In spite of previous attack, Navalny stuck to his political line and chose to support independent candidates. He was arrested multiple times and then was hospitalised beacause of severe damage to eye and skin. It was claimed that he was suffering from ‘allergy’ but this was disputed.
Novichok poisoning (2020)
This was the most prominent attack on Navalny which nearly killed him. A Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok was used against him and after his health deteriorated during a domestic flight in Russia, he was hospitalised. He was then taken to Germany for treatment where he recovered.
It was possible for Navalny to stay in Germany and be an ‘in-exile’ opposition leader. But he chose to return and was promptly arrested, convicted and sent to prison, including one in the dreaded Siberian region.
Navalny survived a lot of situations which normally would make an ordinary human being quit their rebellion and take a safe route. Somehow, Navalny did not do this, kept on fighting astronomical odds stacked against him. This time however, it is being feared that Putin might finally have got his way.
(With inputs from agencies)
