Alexei Navalny shocked the Russian political establishment by accusing President Vladimir Putin of personally ordering the special operation to poison him. Navalny, once a leader but who has now emerged as the top leader of the Russian opposition, is recovering in Germany and insists on his intention to return to Moscow (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Oct. 7). Politicians and pundits loyal to the Kremlin have been engaging in fierce condemnations of Navalny’s “Russophobic” position, dismissing as a “provocation” the confirmation issued by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that the weaponized, state-developed nerve agent Novichok was used in his poisoning (Ezhednevny Zhurnal, Oct. 2; RBC, Oct. 7). These hysterical denials of the crime, into which no investigation has been opened, cannot suppress public interest in the story. Navalny’s lengthy interview on the topic with a popular YouTube blogger attracted more than 14 million views to date (Navalny.com, Oct. 8). European countries have prepared new sanctions against Russian officials, and mainstream commentators in Moscow are left lamenting the damage done to Russia’s relations with Germany, its key traditional Western partner (Valdaiclub.com, Oct. 7).
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Pavel K. Baev: Navalny’s challenge exposes Putin’s self-isolation from reality
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via a teleconference call at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on Aug. 11, 2020.
