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TOPIC: navalny

FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Navalny Now: What The Wagner Coup Attempt Means For Putin's Jailed Enemy No. 1

From the depths of his prison cell, President Putin’s best-known opponent, Alexei Navalny, appears to have a plan for how to turn Yevgeny Prigozhin's failed uprising into new momentum for his cause for democracy and regime change in Moscow.

-Analysis-

MOSCOW — "We no longer want our country to live with corruption, lies and bureaucracy," said Yevgeny Prigozhin , the man who dared to challenge the president who has been in power for almost a quarter of a century.

Prigozhin's crude words and offensive tone were in stark contrast to the propaganda of public television. A master in direct communication, the founder of the Wagner Group mercenaries broadcast his shocking words over social media.

Taken by surprise, Vladimir Putin called for national unity and condemned this “political adventurer.” But he never mentioned his name. For a few hours on June 24, the man who had suddenly become the main anti- Kremlin opponent succeeded in shaking the regime. It was an unexpected role for Prigozhin, Putin's "cook" turned "traitorous putschist.”

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Navalny To Khodorkovsky, The Painful Limits Of Russia's Opposition

The ongoing show trial of prominent Putin critic Alexei Navalny continues. Yet even in the face of totalitarianism, Russia's opposition cannot present a united front.

-Analysis-

PARIS — It was not easy to be an opponent of Vladimir Putin before the invasion of Ukraine , but it has certainly become next to impossible since Feb. 24, 2022. That also counts when you're in prison, as Alexei Navalny is.

Since his voluntary return to Russia after the attempted Novitchok poisoning in 2020, Navalny has already been sentenced twice to a total of twelve years in prison. Now he is back facing a parody of justice: this time, he faces a further 30 years in prison. That's a guarantee that he'll stay behind bars as long as Vladimir Putin is in the Kremlin.

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It's a parody of justice because his trial, which opened on Monday in his prison, the IK-6 penal colony at Melekhovo, 200 km from Moscow, is being held behind closed doors. The lack of transparency is unjustified by the charge brought against him: "extremism".

But the substance of the case is of little importance: what counts is keeping him in prison for as long as possible, in conditions that worry those closest to him. He is losing weight and has suffered serious stomach pains, but he has kept his biting wit and irony.

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A 25-Year Sentence Seals Putin's Switch From Authoritarianism To Totalitarianism

Vladimir Kara-Murza was handed the heaviest prison sentence since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Putin is making an example of the rare few who dare to speak out against him, evoking the reign of Joseph Stalin.

-Analysis-

Facing his judges, Vladimir Kara-Murza compared his trial to those of the Stalinist era . He knows what he is talking about: during Stalin's reign, his two great-grandfathers were executed and his grandfather was sent to the Gulag. In turn, Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison yesterday for his opposition to the war in Ukraine.

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This is the heaviest sentence handed down since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Any opposition to the war is severely punished, but the Russian authorities clearly wanted to make an example of Kara-Murza by significantly raising the cost of dissent. The justice system has piled on by accusing him of "subversion.”

Since Feb. 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin has transformed the authoritarianism of his regime into totalitarianism: there is no more space for freedom of the press, no more right to demonstrate, no independent justice. Even children have to adhere to warrior patriotism: in early March, 13-year-old Maria was sent to an orphanage for a pacifist drawing, and her father in prison.

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Oscar for Navalny? The World Still Doesn’t Understand What’s Wrong With Russia

The Oscar for best documentary went to the portrait of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, considered Vladimir Putin’s top domestic rival. If it was meant as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine, Hollywood has badly missed the mark.

-OpEd-

The Oscar awarded Sunday to “ Navalny ,” the documentary about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was not much of a surprise. As a storyline, it follows all the laws of Hollywood: a courageous hero, an absolute villain, a love story, oppressed peoples — and a sequel. It also, of course, allows the movie industry to collectively and very publicly declare its strong stance against Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.

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But if Hollywood thought this Oscar would be well-received in Ukraine, they got hold of the wrong script.

Assigning this highest honor of Western culture to Navalny is instead a reminder of how much is still misunderstood about Russia — and what must be done about its invasion of Ukraine.

Sure, Putin’s No. 1 domestic rival plays his role perfectly: Navalny is a caring father, a loving husband, a brave man, an honest politician. The film evokes all the right emotions: sympathy and admiration for the protagonist and regret for the country's plight and its citizens, who, like Navalny, have become figurative and literal prisoners of a regime.


And so the Kremlin’s victim par excellence receives an Oscar against the backdrop of a bloody war that Putin launched in Ukraine over a year ago. Yet Hollywood has, as it is prone to do, not gone beyond the surface — has not done its research.

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In The News
Ginevra Falciani & Inès Mermat

Ukraine Interior Minister Killed In Helicopter Crash, Greta v. Polizei, World’s Oldest Person Dies

👋 Halo!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where Ukraine’s interior minister is among 18 killed in a helicopter crash near Kyiv, the world’s oldest person dies at 118, and Greta Thunberg is briefly detained by German police. Meanwhile, London-based, Persian-language Kayhan wonders what’s behind the Iranian Supreme Leader’s repeated allusions to the end of the Shah's rule.

[*Bislama, Vanuatu]

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In The News
Anna Akage, Chloé Touchard, Meike Eijsberg and Bertrand Hauger

“This Is Not A Bluff” — Putin Calls For Mobilization Of 300,000 Reservists

Russian President Vladimir Putin officially addressed the nation early Tuesday to announce the “partial mobilization” of Russian forces that will see military reservists sent to Ukraine to defend “the territorial integrity of our motherland.”

The decision marks a major escalation of the war Putin launched seven months ago, which until now he has tried to downplay domestically as a “special military operation.” The mobilization comes as Ukraine troops have made major advances this month, and follows Tuesday’s announcement of referendums in occupied parts of Ukraine that are expected to lead to their annexation as part of Russia.

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In the highly anticipated speech, Putin restated his claim that Russia is fighting against “neo-Nazis” who have seized power in Ukraine, and made allusion to Moscow’s nuclear arsenal. “We will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people,” the Russian president said, adding: "This is not a bluff."

In terms of the impact inside Russia, Putin again tried to quell possible public opposition. "I repeat, we are talking about partial mobilization, i.e., only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be called up for military service, especially those who have served in the Armed Forces and have certain military professions and relevant experience," Putin said in his address.

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In The News
Anne-Sophie Goninet and Bertrand Hauger

Biden Warns Of Chemical Warfare In Ukraine

👋 здраво!*

Welcome to Tuesday, where Biden warns against the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, Putin critic Navalny is convicted of fraud, and there is no sign of survivors in the China Boeing 737 crash. Meanwhile, Niccolò Zancan reports for Italian daily La Stampa from the Ukrainian city of Lviv, which is preparing for potential attacks from Belarus .

[*Zdravo - Macedonian]

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In The News

Le Weekend ➡️ Sergio Or Sanremo? Searching For Change In The Old Country

February 5-6

  • China’s Olympics of the absurd
  • The healthcare sector burn out
  • Mother of all sushi rolls
  • … and much more!
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Geopolitics
Anna Akage

Navalny Censored: Russian Media Forced To Remove Putin Probes From Websites

Russian media outlets have received government orders to remove archived material about Alexei Navalny and his investigations into corruption by Vladimir Putin and his associates. While the jailed activist’s past work can be found elsewhere, YouTube and other foreign internet platforms may be the Kremlin’s next target.

A new phase of Russia's crackdown on Alexei Navalny has begun — virtually. He has already been in jail for a year now, after being poisoned; his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and headquarters have been deemed extremist organizations; many of his supporters have either emigrated or are also in jail. Yet Russian President Vladimir Putin's apparent obsession with the lawyer and anti-corruption activist just won't go away: not enough for him to lock him up, he wants to erase his very name — at least off screens in Russia.

Following a decision Tuesday by the Prosecutor General's Office, citing anti-terrorism laws, the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications ( Roskomnadzor ), which regulates the internet in Russia, demanded the removal of materials connected with Navalny's investigations into corruption and massive wealth allegedly acquired by Putin.
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In The News

Le Weekend ➡️ East v. West v. South: Three Pandemic Realities, One World

January 29-30

  • Unraveling the Putin puzzle
  • Behind the spate of slain Mexican journalists
  • Barbie’s Latina update
  • … and much more!
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In The News

Le Weekend ➡️ Would There Be Less Conflict With Women Leaders?

January 22-23

  • Navalny saga & Putin’s intentions
  • COVID’s toll on teenage girls
  • A 50-year-old book fee finally gets paid
  • … and much more!
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Geopolitics
Anna Akage

Greater Russia? Four Scenarios For Putin’s Expansionist Ambitions

A mind map of the Russian leader’s possible plans to increase his influence, and expand his territory.

Vladimir Putin has always had his eye on the neighborhood.

In Georgia, the border with Russia has effectively been controlled by Moscow’s FSB security services since 2008. Washington this week accused Russian agents of recruiting pro-Kremlin Ukrainian operatives to take over the government in Kyiv and cooperate with a Russian occupying force. Meanwhile, all of Belarus has been on a short leash for two decades.

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