Alexei Navalny’s murder was one of many in Russia—but it may be pivotal, nonetheless.
In theory, it’s nothing new that Russian President Vladimir Putin has assassinated his peskiest opposition rival Alexey Navalny (on the opinion pages we do not need to pretend that he was «imprisoned» for «convictions» by a «court» of certain «charges»). Navalny’s murder was one of many—but it may be pivotal, nonetheless.
The timing of Navalny’s reported death at an Arctic Circle penal colony is laden with significance, coming around the two-year mark of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and a month before the latest fake presidential election in Russia. Putin—in charge as either president or prime minister since 2000—is «running» again, having passed a special constitutional amendment a few years ago to get around term limits.
The symbolic timing seems right, because Navalny himself was a symbol—since he was so obviously the ultimate anti-Putin. A charismatic crowd-pleaser to Putin’s sinister misanthrope; transparent, liberal, and modern where Putin is a lying, shadowy, 20th century-issue KBG retread; Navalny a globalist half-Ukrainian, whereas Putin is a souped-up nationalist disruptor who invaded Ukraine. Tall, young, and presentable whereas the always-awkward, now-mummified Putin makes Tucker Carlson look dashing by comparison.
Mainly, Navalny was courageous—insanely courageous, returning to Russia in 2021 after barely surviving a poisoning attempt even though he knew his freedom and life were in danger. Putin? He’s scared of a free election and cowers in the Kremlin with his food taster (I assume). Navalny was arrested immediately upon his return to Moscow, met by authorities at the airplane when it landed at Sheremetyevo airport.
Putin’s dispatching of his 47-year-old rival is not surprising, but it is certainly a ramping up. The last serious (and younger) rival, billionaire energy tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsy, who dared establish an opposition political movement, was jailed from 2003 to 2013 on trumped-up charges, then released. The 60-year-old is a politer regime critic now, in exile and more mindful of the value of discretion.
Navalny was unfazed by his arrest and ordered his team to release the two-hour documentary, «Putin’s Palace» (which he wrote and narrated), accusing Putin of fabulous corruption and spending more than a billion dollars building an opulent imperial retreat (Putin reportedly claims an oligarch actually owns it).
