It is exciting to watch an awakening of society. For years, Vladimir Putin’s regime has kept itself on top through a combination of harsh repression and skillful propaganda. But it has also benefited from the passive acquiescence of much of the population. With a few notable exceptions – such as the protests against the state-driven takeover of Russia’s largest private television network in the early 2000s, or the demonstrations that followed rampant fraud in the 2011 parliamentary elections, or rallies against the war on Ukraine – Russians stayed largely silent as Putin moved to dismantle the fledgling freedoms and democratic institutions inherited from his predecessor. In fairness, so did most Western leaders, who were all too happy to look the other way for the sake of “doing business” with the Kremlin.
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Vladimir Kara-Murza: Navalny is helping to give birth to a new Russia
Police try to disperse protesters during a rally in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny in downtown Moscow on Jan. 23, 2021.
