An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Dubbed the blogger who could start Russia's own Arab Spring by Hoover research fellow Paul Gregory, Alexei Navalny has become the face of the Russian opposition movement in recent years.
Navalny began his anti-corruption, pro-transparency crusade in 2008 as a minor shareholder of large, state-owned corporations like Gazprom, Rosneft, Transneft, and VTB bank. Owning stock at these companies provided Navalny with an entrée to senior management, whom he hounded with tough, uncomfortable questions about the operation and administration of the businesses, their relationships with government officials, and allegations of malfeasance.
Building on his mission to combat corruption, this year Navalny has made Putin's United Russia party–which Navalny famously christened the "party of crooks and thieves" – the target of his efforts.
And this past Monday, December 5th, Navalny summoned his large internet following (BBC estimates his blog readership to be about 60,000 and growing, and his Twitter account has over 128,000 followers) to a 7pm demonstration at Chistye Prudy park to protest the rigged parliamentary election.
Thousands showed up to join him. Putin responded by sending 50,000 troops into Moscow, arresting Navalny and some 300 other demonstrators, and staging a counter demonstration to prove that in fact, many people can still be paid or otherwise persuaded into supporting the prime minister's party. Putin's response is a giant miscalculation, writes Paul Gregory.
Putin can sentence uncooperative oligarchs like Khodorkovsky to Siberia on trumped up charges. Navalny is a more difficult case. I imagine that Putin’s minions are gathering “kompromat” on Navalny. There have been or will be threats against his family. He will be arrested periodically, but each time Navalny’s stature will grow. If he is somehow silenced, hundreds of other Navalnys will emerge like sprouting mushrooms to take his place.
A blogger like Alexei Navalny, now with the de facto support of Mikhail Gorbachev, could very well pave the way to a major upheaval in Russian politics. His is a name to know and watch.
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Aug '10
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Let's hope for this man with the giant bullseye on his back. I think the Arab Spring may be a misnomer, but we can hope a country like Russia may be able to find democracy someday. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while.
Dec '10
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Should keep this man in our prayers. Putin isn't a thug like those Arab leaders...he is a professional and infinitely more dangerous.
Edited on Dec 7, 2011 at 11:44amMar '11
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Consider the difference between those in this country who, with the protection of the First Amendment, take to the streets over trivial or imagined injustices, and guys like this who actually speak truth to power about the lack of liberty, and risk their lives in the process.
Edited on Dec 7, 2011 at 11:59amRe: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Navalny has managed by means of a single demonstration to unmask the Putin dictatorship. I would not, alas, be willing to bet that he has long to live.
Apr '11
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Maybe there is hope for Russia after all. I have feared that having failed to ride Communism into glory the Russians under Putin were going to give Fascism a try. I mean they still are...but it is good to know that there are Russians resisting and demanding a free and open democracy.
Nov '10
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
^^agreed. It's going to be a krasnyi dekabrya.
EDIT: As much as I would like to be agreeing with Valiuth, I actually meant I was agreeing with Prof. Rahe.
Edited on Dec 7, 2011 at 12:19pmRe: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Yes. And I was cheered by Paul Gregory's optimism:
Sep '10
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
I don't mean to trample on Diane's optimism, but I fear he will be an early martyr. Putin is beyond ruthless and I still remember Krauthammer's column about Putin's remote control radioactive poisoning venture in the UK. The message Putin wanted to send was:
"We'll kill you anywhere, anytime, any place"
Don't get me wrong; I hope Diane is right, I fear Paul is though.
Aug '10
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Diane Ellis, Ed.
Dec 7 at 12:37pm
Anybody want to bet on some massive internet problems due any day now in Russia ?
Feb '11
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Do we really want an 'Arab Spring' in Russia? The Arab Spring is rapidly becoming the 'Islamist Spring' and a potential American and Israeli geopolitical nightmare. A Russian version could well be equally unsavory.
May '10
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Simply put, he will either end up dead or locked up unless he leaves Russia.
Sep '10
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
Diane, thanks for letting us know about this man. I'll keep him in my prayers.
By the way, I just love the fact that митинг is now a Russian word!
Re: An Important Name to Know: Alexei Navalny
The unknowns in Russia seem less scary to me. I don't know if that's justified or not, but I guess I feel confident that Russia doesn't have an equivalent of the Muslim Brotherhood that's lurking in the background, ready to jump in at a moment's notice to fill the void. What I hope for in the best case scenario is that a younger generation–guys like Navalny in their 30's and 40s who don't have a history in the KGB or the communist party– are able to burst onto the scene. But, that might be a pipe dream considering that the opposition movement is nascent and undeveloped.