Alexei Navalny represented a threat to the Kremlin, unlike any other opposition figure during President Putin’s rule, because he dared to expose the deep corruption and stillborn democracy of Russia today.
Navalny’s videos were watched by millions showing Putin’s opulent palaces and his inner circles dirty dealings, including their expensive jewellery and homes and yachts, and their mafia style approach to ruling Russia.
Navalny managed to organize some of the largest street protests during Putin’s rule, and his grassroots political organization was anchored in centres across Russia, threatening the election process which has always been a charade and pretend voting process not long after Putin came to power in 2000.
When Navalny couldn’t be bought off, or intimidated by arrest, he was poisoned in August of 2020, and narrowly dodged death. The Novichok was administered by agents of the FSB and only an emergency flight to Germany saved Navalny.
Despite the threat to his life, Navalny believe the only way to bring about change in Russia was to return and fight for freedoms. But he lost his own freedom on trumped up fraud charges and was imprisoned under harsh conditions, and denied medical care.
When he died on February 12th, it was hardly a shock this could happen in Putin’s Russia, but it showed the Russian leader was willing to do anything now, and somehow felt immune and insulated from any kind of justice.
Navalny’s wife Yulia addressed European Parliament today saying that her husband had been "tortured for three years" on Putin's orders, cut off from the outside world, starved, and denied contact with friends and family.
"And then they killed him. Even after that they abused his body and abused his mother," Navalnaya said.
And Yulia alleged “Putin is the leader of an organised criminal gang. This includes poisoners and assassins but they’re just puppets. The most important thing is the people close to Putin – his friends, associates and keepers of mafia money”.
Navalny will be buried on Friday but the family has struggled to find a funeral home willing to help, and the burial was delayed until one day after Putin is scheduled to address lawmakers as he seeks yet another term as President, his fifth term since coming to power with no sign he will ever step down.
Navalny’s death may serve as a severe reminder to European and American political leaders Putin is now more dangerous then he has ever been. He has killed tens of thousands in Ukraine, threatened nuclear war in Europe, interfered in elections and ordered the assassinations of his enemies abroad.
Since Navalny’s death there is renewed seriousness about talk of supporting Ukraine at all costs, with western leaders warning if Putin is not stopped in Ukraine he will go on to attack other European countries.
French President Macron this week has openly discussed sending ground troops into Ukraine, an idea which although rejected by NATO leaders, was meant to send a message to Moscow of Europes commitment to stopping Russia.
Macron did, however, announce a new coalition would be created to supply Ukraine with medium-range and long-range missiles.
“We’re at a critical moment in this conflict that requires us to take the initiative,” Macron said.
Europe is shaken by the Navalny death, as much as it is by the advance of Russia forces in Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops appear to be on a back foot, struggling to stop a break through of their front lines by Russian troops, which just keep on coming as Putin moves his entire country to a weapons assembly line ignoring troop losses which are estimated to be as high as 350 thousand men.
The American political log jam in sending weapons to restock Ukraine’s artillery and former President Trump’s resurgence withhis pro Putin policies, are wakeup calls to Europe to be ready to support Ukraine with or without Washington.
2024 promises to be a year in which Ukraine will struggle to hold defensive lines, as the conflict seems only to get bloodier with no end in sight to its resolution.
Ukraine’s allies may have missed an easier moment in this 2 year long conflict to deal a serious body blow to Russian forces, trickling in aid when they could have surged ahead with stronger weapons in a shorter period of time.
And now the violent struggle to push Russia out of Ukraine’s lands seems in serious doubt to everyone, even Ukrainians.