The Waning Strength of Putin’s Regime:
The Life and Legacy of Alexei Navalny
On the eve of President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration in 2018, rising Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested among a sea of protesters chanting “Russia will be free.”
Now, weeks away from Putin’s next fraudulent electoral victory, the very same Moscow streets are filled with rallies and vigils to honor Navalny’s life and legacy. After his passing on February 16, 2024, in what many world leaders are calling an intentional murder of Navalny by the Kremlin and Putin, memorials to the opposition leader began appearing all around the world.
According to OVID-Info, a Russian human rights defense group, over 400 of Navalny’s supporters have been detained in Russia for participating in rallies and protests in support of the late opposition leader.
Thirty-nine cities, including St. Petersburg and the Russian capital city of Moscow, have begun to crack down on vigils, which is the reason behind the arrests of many vocal Navalny supporters. Navalny’s team has since offered to pay fines given to protesters who have been detained at memorial events.
At the time of his passing, Navalny had been recently transferred to a penal colony located above the Arctic Circle called ‘Polar Wolf.’ Despite the bleak reality of his situation, Navalny stayed optimistic and made light of the remote location, which spends most of the year cloaked in darkness.
“This news reaches me now with the speed of reindeer in the Tundra,” he posted on X, congratulating his comrade Sergei Guriev for becoming the dean of the London Business School.
This was posted by Navalny on Feb. 1, only 15 days before his untimely passing. Right up until his final day, Navalny was shown in good spirits. He was reportedly joking with prison guards and judges during a hearing. This video was the last time he was seen publicly.
According to Maria Pevchikh, head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, there was a deal in the works to have Navalny, along with two other US citizens, to be released in a prisoner swap. Pevchikh also believes that President Putin had Navalny killed due to his imminent release.
“Navalny was supposed to be free in the coming days, because we had achieved a decision on his exchange. In early February, Putin was offered the swap of the FSB killer, Vadim Kraskov, who is serving time for murder in Berlin, for two American citizens… and Alexei Navalny. I received information that negotiators were at the final stage on the evening of February 15th. On February 16th, Alexei was killed,” Pevchikh said.
On Friday, March 1, Navalny was laid to rest in Moscow, Russia. Although his wife Yulia Navalnaya could not attend the funeral due to safety concerns and in spite of an influx of police presence at his grave site, thousands of his supporters gathered to pay respects to the late Russian opposition leader anyway — a significant show of rebellious rhetoric and action in the increasingly ideologically-uniform Russian Federation of 2024.
Since the passing of her husband, Yulia Navalnaya has spoken out against President Putin. While speaking to the European Parliament, Navalnaya blasted President Putin, calling him a “bloody monster.” Despite having denied interest in becoming an opposition leader in the past, she confirmed she would continue Navalny’s work.
“I have no right to give up. I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny. I will continue to fight for our country and I urge you to stand next to me,” Navalnaya said.
Alexei Navalny’s death is a disturbing reminder of President Putin’s power and reach, but the Russian president will never be able to erase the impact Navalny has had on Russia. Although the opposition leader has fallen, the opposition movement itself is still very alive. Navalnaya, the current face of the resistance, is not entering the limelight blindly. Having observed the opposition for so many years, she is familiar with Putin’s tactics.
“You cannot defeat him by thinking he is a man of principle who has morals and rules. He is not like that, and Alexei realized that a long time ago,” Navalnaya said.
Navalny was not ignorant to the likelihood of his untimely death, especially after he decided to return to Russia following his Novichok poisoning in 2020. In “Navalny,” the Oscar-winning documentary about his life, he stressed to his supporters the importance of not giving up.
“If they decide to kill me, it means we are incredibly strong,” Navalny said. “We need to utilize this power to not give up, to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes.”
The scenes at Navalny’s memorials scattered across Russia — and much of the globe — illustrate this sentiment, with thousands of people risking arrest to pay their respects with vibrant bouquets, signifying the hope that Navalny gave them for a democratic country.
Although officials have been destroying memorials in cities such as St. Petersburg, flowers that are thrown away are almost instantly replaced, which offers an interesting glimpse into the health of Putin’s regime and the hope citizens of Russia have for the future — in the new, post-Alexei Navalny Russia.
Tense Times for Putin
In the past year, discourse about the potential weakness of Putin’s regime has been rampant, especially following the Wagner Group uprising in July 2023. Among the fighting taking place in Ukraine, Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin announced his defiance of the Kremlin and President Putin directly. Prigozhin called for an armed rebellion to oust the defense minister after criticizing him for his handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
When speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado in July 2023, CIA Director William Burns commented on the weakness of the regime, questioning the stability of Putin’s authority.
“What we saw was Russian security services, the Russian military, Russian decision-makers adrift, or they appeared to be adrift, for those 36 hours. The question was, ‘Does the emperor have no clothes?’ Or at least, ‘Why is it taking so long for him to get dressed?’” Burns said.
As the world watches Putin’s regime defend its power against the opposition, as well as the unexpected beat back the Russian military has faced from Ukraine in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion — no one is watching closer than those who are outraged by the blatant manner of Putin’s abuse of power.
Mourners have come out to convey their grief for Navalny around the world, including in Rome, New York, and even our own Boulder, Colorado.
Outside the Boulder County Historic Court House on Pearl Street, a small but meaningful memorial in support of Navalny lies below a tree. Among flowers, candles and a photo of the late opposition leader, those who created the memorial left a poignant call to action: “The only thing needed for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”
The spread of Navalny’s impact across the entire world is chillingly apparent in the wake of his untimely passing. As the world watches his family, friends and colleagues grieve his life and speak out against President Putin’s regime, supporters are doing everything they can to keep Navalny’s legacy alive.
Well written and very informational! Mr. Navalny is a true hero.