Good Morning,
There is little question Alexei Navalny is a victim of a State murder, and if it was a classic crime scene investigators would be dusting for the finger prints and lifting those of Vladimir Putin.
Putin was the target of Navalny’s embarrassing investigations and videos viewed by millions, showing the depth of the Russian leaders corruption, syphoning off billions of dollars from Russian budget riches, to build among other things his billion dollar Black Sea palace which was viewed millions of times on Youtube.
Navalny’s larger offense though was challenging Putin in the streets, organizing political opposition rallies, and grass roots election centres across Russia, and on one of those trips in 2020, Navalny was poisoning by the FSB Intelligence Service with Novichok nerve agent.
Navalny chose to go back to Russia to fight on for democracy, and to kindle hope in the removal of Putin from the Kremlin, a decision that he would pay for with his life.
Russian media outside of the country report three days after Navalny’s death Vladimir Putin has decorated Valery Boyarinev, the deputy director of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), with the rank of colonel general. Boyarinev reportedly gave instructions for limits of money Navalny could access to purchase food.
The Russian authorities deny Navalny’s death was intentional but are holding Navalny’s body refusing to release it to the family.
Putin has acted against Navalny now, because he feels untouchable, even as his war in Ukraine steams into it’s third year.
The White House will announce new rounds of sanctions against Russia on Friday, and some of those are in direct response to Navalny’s death, but sanctions have failed to choke the Russian economy, or Putin’s war machine.
Russian forces have broken through to retake Avdiivka a hotly contested Ukrainian City in the east.
More than 17,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the five months fight for Avdiivka, according to a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military. An additional 30,000 were wounded, he added.
If true, that means Russia lost more personnel in the fight for Avdiivka than during a decade-long occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989.
But Putin has shown little regard for Russian casualty counts which of course receive no mention on Kremlin controlled media, which is all media in Russia.
Russian forces are pressing on Ukrainian front line positions in several directions, and as the Ukrainians run low on ammunition, predictions abound about more possible break throughs.
The Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka was anything but orderly, with many wounded soldiers being left behind and there are reports many were later executed by advancing Russian forces.
A Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine last year, has been found dead in Spain. Reports in Russian and Spanish media on Monday said Maksim Kuzminov was found dead after allegedly moving to a town of in Alicante. His body was discovered last Tuesday, and investigators say he had been shot 12 times.
Russian battle field advances, the death of Navalny, make for an emboldened Russian leader who is calling on his forces to build more successes as Putin himself organizes yet another election in March to continue his stifling dictatorship.
The question is will Europe and America now more clearly understand the threat Russia poses to peace and democracy, and more quickly advance stalled military aid to Ukraine?
Navalny’s apparent murder is yet another wakeup call Russia will just keep pressing on and threatening Europe if more isn’t done and done quickly.