Russian Opposition’s Death: What does this mean?
Russian state media made a sudden announcement of the death of the infamous Putin’s opposition, Alexei Navalny, who was reported to have fallen unconscious after taking a walk and died. Navalny’s team believed the report was due to abnormal conditions around the prison camp which was close to the Arctic Circle, with a high-security level. His death sparked accusations worldwide about whether he had been killed. The US President believes that Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, is still in disbelief and warned that Putin’s regime should not be trusted. She affirms she will continue his belated husband’s fight against Putin, “I call on you to stand by me,” she said. The death of Russia’s opposition Navalny is not the first time. Most of Russia’s opposition is either having a sudden death, being exiled abroad, or being imprisoned at home. How will the sudden change affect the opposition movement in Russia?
What could Alexei’s death mean?
In an interview, Navalny said, “If they decide to kill me, it means we are incredibly strong and we need to use this power.” Russia under President Putin and his United Russia party have an authoritarianism, with limited media freedom and restricted political competition. As an authoritarian ruler, the power is concentrated in Putin, where he has security forces loyalists, a controlled media environment, dominated the legislature, and a subservient judiciary. Navalny was against this, and he voiced for Russian democracy and criticized Putin’s authoritarian rule. Navalny became prominent in Russian opposition where he exposed Putin’s inner circle and instigated several anti-government demonstrations, including in 2021 where the protestors demanded Navalny’s release from prison. He also investigated corruption which enabled him to expose Russia’s political elites.
Not only that, his critique was also developing to human rights issues, especially on the interventions in Ukraine and Syria. The legacy left by Navalny was his political skills, courage, and tactics to support the dissemination of the democratic movement. With the slogan of ‘Beautiful Russia of the Future,” Navalny also able to build a coalition that mobilized more people to put more pressure on Putin’s leadership. Although the news of Navalny’s death spread, however, there are no single leader from a non-Western country condemned Navalny’s death, reflecting that political murders or violence in general seemed ‘acceptable’ and they might not want to create bad blood relations with Putin. Once again, this reveals the divided view of the global line and perspectives on political dissent and state repression.
For Putin, upholding and preserving his power and control in the country. Whether Navalny’s death is directly caused by the state or not, it could have a significant implication for dissent in Russia. Navalny was not a direct threat to Putin’s ambition, but it is more of a proof of repressive Russian regime. Moreover, as time goes by, Navalny may not be irrelevant anymore and his movement would be diminished by time. However, over the past decade, potential threats to Putin have been neutralized, and a lot of the opposition was shot, poisoned, or even killed in airplane crashes. Russia’s intelligence still pursues to suppress the unnecessary movement of freedom, regardless of how harmless it could be to the current Russian state. Navalny’s death and other former opposition may become intimidation tactics as it serves as a ‘stark warning’ to other opposition figures and their supporters. This modus operandi could even further intimidate those against Putin to let their voices out.
Furthermore, although there was shared grief of Navalny’s death, however, many young opposition leaders, who were followers of Navalny, believed that their dreams of a free and democratic country had also died when Navalny’s passed away, making them redraw their lives plans. Millions of the millennials and volunteers believed that it was possible to push for a change in Russia, but, now the leader passed away, they believe that the dream is also gone. Although her wife wanted to continue the struggle, however, it seemed not enough to gather more support and power. Moreover, there is no strong coalition and one voice among the group’s movement to unite the opposition. The resilience of the authoritarian system in Putin’s leadership is still going strong, despite the pressure of internal and external challenges to his power and stability. Using manipulation and repressive methods, Putin’s regime has managed to still survive.
