When Alexei Navalny boarded a plane to Moscow on January 17, he turned his life into a metaphor. He knew it, his wife knew it, and everybody else on the plane knew it. So did the millions of people who had watched his documentary videos, who had seen the witty interviews he did on the plane, who have since joined demonstrations in his name. So did the leaders of Russia, including the country’s dictator and president, Vladimir Putin. This, Navalny was telling all of them, is what courage looks like.
OP-ED
Anne Applebaum: Navalny is showing Russia what courage is
A demonstrator displays a portrait of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny during a protest in his support in front of the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on April 21, 2021.
