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☆ Putin saw an existential threat in Navalny, the opposition leader whose name he dared not mention
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Alexey Navalny once represented an alternative future for Russia: an optimistic, forward-looking place, free of the one-man rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It would be hard to overstate how profoundly Navalny symbolized Putin’s relentless drive to erase the last remnants of political opposition from Russia. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty ImagesWhat followed was a parody of criminal justice, as Russian prosecutors heaped on charges against Navalny, who continued to rail against Putin. Navalny had emerged as the most prominent leader of the Russian opposition following the assassination of outspoken Putin critic Boris Nemtsov in 2015, in plain view of the Kremlin. Putin famously refused to utter Navalny’s name, hinting at the deep unease about the legitimacy Navalny commanded as opposition leader.

Persons: CNN — Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Alexei Navalny, Kirill Kudryavtsev, gaunt, “, ” Navalny, –, ”, I’m, Yulia, Vasily Maximov, Putin, Boris Nadezhdin, Boris Nemtsov, Nemtsov, Lyubov Sobol, Mikheil Saakashvili –, Ukraine’s, Saakashvili, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, Getty, Putin, IK, Valentine’s, “, Twitter Locations: Russia, Moscow, Berlin, AFP, Kharp, Autonomous Okrug, Ukraine, Russian, Navalny, Kyiv’s

☆ Alexey Navalny: Jailed Russian opposition figure dies aged 47, prison service says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Anna Chernova | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, has died aged 47, the Russian prison service said. Russia’s prison service said it was investigating the “sudden death” of Navalny. Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said his lawyer is traveling to Kharp, where Navalny has been held since December. The White House at the time said it was “deeply concerned” about the reports of Navalny’s disappearance. “Navalny has never been hidden for so long,” Navalny’s team said in a Telegram post.

Persons: CNN —, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalnvy, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Kira Yarmysh, “, ” Yarmysh, Navalany’s, he’d, “ Navalny, ”, Ivan Zhdanov Organizations: CNN, United, Novosti, Navalny’s, IK Locations: Russian, United Russia, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Navalny, Kharp, Moscow

☆ What Navalny Can Teach Americans About Bravery - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Vladimir Putin’s Russia has just become even more bleak and soulless with the reported death in an Arctic prison of Aleksei Navalny, the 47-year-old dissident who showed immense bravery and humor as he tried to bring democracy to his homeland. Navalny’s strength, resilience and courage contrast with the fecklessness of so many Americans dealing with Putin. From Donald Trump to Tucker Carlson, a remarkable number of American leaders and their mouthpieces roll over before the Russian president. “Why do Trump and his congressional enablers want to further appease this Russian tyrant?” Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, asked after the news broke of Navalny’s death. I hope Navalny’s example will fortify Americans and Europeans alike, for despite all our resources we have not shown a sliver of the strength that he did.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Aleksei Navalny, Putin, Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, Trump, Dick Durbin Locations: Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Russian, Illinois

Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests, died in prison Friday, Russian authorities said. Before his arrest, he campaigned against official corruption, organized major anti-Kremlin protests and ran for public office. Shortly after Navalny’s death was reported, the Russian SOTA social media channel shared images of the opposition politician reportedly in court yesterday. In the footage, Navalny is seen standing up and is laughing and joking with the judge via video link. The day before the sentence, Navalny had registered as a candidate for Moscow mayor.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Kira Yarmysh, Boris Nemtsov, —, ”, Dmitry Medvedev’s, Sergei Skripal, “ Alexei, David Roher, Oscar, Navalny’s, “, Alexei, alexey, navalny Organizations: Kremlin, Federal Penitentiary Service, People’s Friendship University, Yale, Moscow, Fund, Fighting, YouTube, Federal Security Service, Navalny’s Foundation Locations: ”, Moscow, Germany, Russian, Russia, Kharp, Butyn, Crimean, St, Petersburg, Siberian, Tomsk, Omsk, England, Ukraine

☆ The Documentary Aleksei Navalny Knew We’d Watch After His Death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Alissa Wilkinson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In the opening moments of “Navalny,” the Oscar-winning 2022 documentary about the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny, the director Daniel Roher asks his subject a dark question. “If you are killed — if this does happen — what message do you leave behind to the Russian people?” the voice asks from behind the camera. It’s like you’re making a movie for the case of my death.” He pauses, then continues. “I’m ready to answer your question, but please let it be another movie, Movie No. Let’s make a thriller out of this movie.”“And in the case I would be killed,” he concludes with a wry smile, “let’s make a boring movie of memory.”

Persons: “, Aleksei A, Daniel Roher, Daniel, ”

☆ Biden rips the House for taking 2-week break as he presses for Ukraine funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden on Friday criticized the House for taking a two-week break amid a heated push for additional funding for Ukraine in its war against Russia. The Senate passed a bipartisan $95 billion bill that provided the Ukraine funding, along with support for Taiwan and Israel, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has signaled he won’t bring the bill to the House floor. Democrats made some concessions for the Senate bill, but prospects of a funding bill passing the House were torpedoed after former President Donald Trump pushed Republicans to oppose it. And the prospects of additional funding after the election remains in question if Trump, the GOP frontrunner who recently signaled indifference to Russia invading a NATO ally, wins in the fall. Asked whether Navalny’s reported death would burgeon support for additional funding from members of Congress, Biden said “I hope to God it helps.”This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Persons: Joe Biden, Alexey Navalny’s, Biden, “, ” Biden, they’re, Mike Johnson, Nalvany’s, Johnson, ” Johnson, Donald Trump, Trump, ”, Navalny’s Organizations: Washington CNN, Ukraine, Russia, Congress, Republicans, NATO, Representatives Locations: Ukraine, United States, Taiwan, Israel, Baltic, Russia

☆ Aleksei Navalny Outspoken Putin Critic Is Dead, Russian State Media Reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

ETAleksei A. Navalny, the most outspoken domestic critic of President Vladimir V. Putin, has died in prison, Russian state media said on Friday. Mr. Navalny’s death was reported by Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service, according to Russian state media. In a statement carried by Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency, the penitentiary service said that Mr. Navalny, 47, lost consciousness on Friday taking a walk in the Arctic prison where he was moved late last year. “The facility’s medical staff immediately arrived and an ambulance brigade was called,” the penitentiary service’s statement said. The ambulance doctors confirmed the death of the convict.” Mr. Putin’s spokesman said that the death had been reported to Mr. Putin, according to the Tass state news service.

Persons: Aleksei, Vladimir V, Putin, Navalny’s, Navalny, ” Mr, Putin’s, Mr Organizations: Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service, RIA Novosti, Tass

The reported death in prison of Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent political rival, sent shockwaves throughout Russia and the world on Friday – even if some were unsurprised by the outcome. “There is no doubt that the death of Navalny was the consequence of something Putin and his thugs did,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in remarks at the White House on Friday. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesHere is what you need to know about Navalny, his death and Russia’s handling of political prisoners. Who Was Alexei Navalny? Navalny later participated in several mass protests and lobbed criticisms more directly at Putin and other Kremlin officials.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Navalny, Joe Biden, “, ” Konstantin Sonin, ” Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalnaya, ”, Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s, Evan Gershkovich, Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alexei Gorinov, Maria Ponomarenko – Organizations: White, overdevelopment, Associated Press, Reuters, Washington Post, University of Chicago, Ukraine, Munich, Russia’s Federal, Service, Nenets Autonomous, Tass, Wall Street Locations: Russian, Russia, U.S, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarus, Germany, Russia’s, Nenets, Nenets Autonomous District, Kharp, Bucha

☆ Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny had long been a thorn in Putin’s side
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Laura Smith-Spark | Zamira Rahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

From prison, Navalny denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine via social media and encouraged anti-war protests across the country. Navalny was detained and sent to a Russian prison in 2021 after he had returned to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from Novichok poisoning he blamed on the Russian government. Navalny took up Nemtsov’s mantle, becoming Russia’s most prominent opposition figure. Alexey Navalny was given a suspended sentence and his brother was sentenced to a prison term. Russia launched a new fraud accusation and jail threat against Navalny at the end of 2020, increasing pressure on him.

Persons: CNN — Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Alexei Navalny, Dmitry Lovetsky, “, Putin, ”, Kira Yarmysh, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Litvinenko, Novichok, Sergei Skripal, Russia’s, Boris Nemtsov, Alexey Navalny, ‘ Putin, Oleg, Yves Rocher, “ Putin, ” Navalny, Dasha Navalnaya, Margarita Kotova, gaunt, Alexey, –, Putin –, Alexander Nemenov, vociferously, I’m, Yulia Navalnaya Organizations: CNN, United, Kremlin, CNN Former, Getty, Corruption, Navalny, “, Moscow’s, Peoples University, Transneft, Court, of Human Locations: United Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Germany, Moscow, CNN Former Russian, Britain, Russian, English, Salisbury, Siberian, Tomsk, Omsk, France, Sweden, Anadolu, Melekhovo, Vladimir Region, Butyn, AFP, Moscow’s

☆ Biden Condemns ‘Putin and His Thugs’ for Navalny’s Death as Allies ‘Panic’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden blamed President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia personally on Friday for the reported death of the imprisoned Russian dissident Aleksei A. Navalny, and cited the case in pressing House Republicans to approve military aid to Ukraine in its war with Moscow. “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Mr. Biden said in a televised statement from the White House. “Putin is responsible. No one should be fooled, not in Russia, not at home, not anywhere in the world.”Asked if Mr. Navalny had been assassinated, Mr. Biden said the United States did not have a full understanding of the circumstances. “The answer is, we don’t know exactly what happened, but there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did.”

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, Aleksei A, Navalny, ” Mr, “ Putin, Mr, ” Organizations: “ Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, United States

☆ Navalny’s Wife Makes Dramatic Appearance After Reports of His Death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just hours after her husband was reported dead, Yulia Navalnaya made a dramatic, surprise appearance at a gathering of world leaders in Munich on Friday. Conference organizers quickly wrapped up a session with Vice President Kamala Harris and turned the microphone over to Ms. Navalnaya. “We cannot believe Putin and his government,” Ms. Navalnaya told the audience. They will be brought to justice, and this day will come soon.”Ms. Navalnaya spoke clearly and calmly, with remarkable composure, her face etched with evident pain but under complete control. Standing at the lectern, she clasped her hands in front of her and stared straight ahead as if willing herself to focus on her message.

Persons: Yulia Navalnaya, Vladimir V, Putin, ”, Aleksei A, Navalny, Kamala Harris, Navalnaya, ” Ms Organizations: Munich Security Conference, Conference Locations: Munich, Russia, Russian

☆ Where does Navalny’s reported death leave Russia and Putin?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The death of Aleksei A. Navalny, as reported by authorities in Moscow on Friday, ushers in a new turning point for President Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia, underscoring both the Kremlin’s power and the potential for instability that continues to threaten it. The announcement came just a month before Russia’s rubber-stamp presidential elections, when the Kremlin will look to portray Russians as united behind Mr. Putin and his bid for a fifth term. As the third year of the war nears, Mr. Putin’s control of domestic politics appears nearly total, with his most prominent surviving opponents either in jail or in exile. Street protests are immediately snuffed out, and thousands of Russians have been prosecuted for criticizing the war. The West’s far-reaching sanctions have not crippled Russia’s economy.

Persons: Aleksei A, Vladimir V, underscoring, Putin Organizations: Mr, Russian, Ukrainian Army, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Mayorkas defends his record on the southern border and slams House Republicans after historic impeachment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Donald Judd | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday defended his record on the border, saying his impeachment by House Republicans has no basis in fact or law and he has no plans to slow down his work. Of course,” Mayorkas told Amanpour. As a member of the administration’s delegation to the conference, Mayorkas rebuffed the idea that Tuesday’s impeachment had compromised his standing with world leaders. Three Republicans – Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, and Tom McClintock of California – voted with Democrats against the measure. “I’ve interacted with the president countless times,” Mayorkas told Amanpour.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Mayorkas, “, ” Mayorkas, Amanpour, I’m, Alexey Navalny, Joe, Robert Hur’s, ”, –, Republicans – Ken Buck, Republicans – Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of, Tom McClintock, California –, Navalny’s, Vladimir Putin, Hur, Biden, “ I’ve Organizations: CNN, Homeland, House Republicans, Munich Security Conference, ” CNN, Republicans, United, Justice Locations: United States, Republicans – Ken Buck of, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, California, Ukraine

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny attends a rally in support of political prisoners in Prospekt Sakharova Street in Moscow, Russia on September 29, 2019. Sefa Karacan | Anadolu | Getty ImagesWorld leaders and the wife of prominent Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny reacted with dismay and suspicion to reports of the Kremlin critic's death in a Siberian penal colony. Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's wife, was greeted on Friday with a standing ovation as she addressed the Munich Security Conference. "Alexei Navalny has been a strong voice for freedom, for democracy, for many years, and NATO and NATO allies have called for his immediate release for a long time." "We'll be talking to the many other countries concerned about Alexei Navalny, especially if these reports bear out to be true."

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Sefa, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalnaya, Vladimir Putin, Putin, …, Kai Pfaffenbach, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Navalny's, Navalny, Kamala Harris, Washington, Jens Stoltenberg, Yulia Morozova, Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Antony Blinken, Rishi Sunak, Olaf Scholz Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Munich Security, Reuters, Ministry, Munich, NATO, IK Locations: Moscow, Russia, Munich, Germany, Vladimir, Russian

☆ Aleksei Navalny, Russian Opposition Leader, Dies in Prison at 47
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aleksei A. Navalny, an anticorruption activist who for more than a decade led the political opposition in President Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia while enduring arrests, assaults and a near-fatal poisoning, died Friday in a Russian prison, according to Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service. The prison authorities said that Mr. Navalny lost consciousness on Friday after taking a walk in the Arctic penal colony where he was moved late last year. He was last seen on Thursday, when he had appeared in a court hearing via video link, smiling behind the bars of a cell and making jokes. Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s press secretary, said in a live broadcast Friday that Navalny’s advisers were not yet able to issue an official confirmation of his death but believed that he had perished. Despite increasingly harsh conditions, including repeated stints in solitary confinement, he maintained a presence on social media, while members of his team continued to publish investigations into Russia’s corrupt elite from exile.

Persons: Aleksei A, Vladimir V, Navalny, Kira Yarmysh, Biden, “, Putin, ” Mr Organizations: Russia’s Federal, Service, White House Locations: Russia, Russia’s, United States

☆ Analysis: Death of leading critic Navalny is a reminder of Putin’s paranoia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It is the why that is already the largest question, after the untimely death of Alexey Navalny. And with his death, Putin is in a riskier position. The Prigozhin death, critics of the Kremlin, had felt, was to some degree inevitable. He has long been a Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesNavalny’s death is a reminder of Putin’s paranoia. Does it speak of a man burdened by worry, and happy to endure the global outrage of Navalny’s death if it removes the tiniest possible risks to his rule?

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Putin, Navalny, Kamala Harris, Alexei Navalny, Vera Savina, Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko, Boris Berezovsky, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, ”, Alexander Nemenov, Putin’s Organizations: Germany CNN, Kremlin, Munich Security, NATO, IK, Police, Getty, Putin Locations: Munich, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, AFP, London, Moscow, Putin’s

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — World leaders and Russian opposition activists wasted no time Friday in blaming the reported death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on President Vladimir Putin and his government. Navalny was “brutally murdered by the Kremlin,” said Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Other Russian opposition activists echoed him. “If it is confirmed, the death of Alexei is a murder. Organized by Putin,” opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov said on social media.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “ Putin, —, ” Zelenskyy, Olaf Scholz, ” Scholz, Navalny, “, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Ivan Zhdanov, hasn’t, Alexei, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Dmitry Gudkov, Garry Kasparov, ” Kasparov, Pyotr Verzilov, “ Navalny, Verzilov, Ursula von der Leyen, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Jake Sullivan Organizations: Kremlin, EU, NATO, National, NPR Locations: TALLINN, Estonia, Russian, Berlin, Russia, Navalny, Germany

The news of Mr. Navalny’s death shocked many at the conference and could add new urgency to the discussion. Ms. Harris said at the start of her address to the conference — which had already been expected to focus on Russia — that the United States was still trying to confirm the reports of Mr. Navalny’s death, but that it held Russia’s government responsible. “I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia,” Mr. Biden told reporters after meeting with Mr. Putin in Geneva in 2021. “What do you think happens when he’s saying it’s not about hurting Navalny, all the stuff he says to rationalize the treatment of Navalny, and then he dies in prison?” Mr. Biden continued. “I saw Yulia Navalnaya and Leonid Volkov last night here in Munich,” said Michael McFaul, a former American ambassador to Moscow.

Persons: Aleksei A, Yulia Navalnaya, clampdown, Navalnaya, Leonid Volkov, Kamala Harris, Antony J, Blinken, Vladimir V, Putin, Navalny’s, Harris, ”, Mr, Biden, Navalny, “, ” Mr, it’s, Ms, Michael McFaul, Aleksei, ” Edward Wong Organizations: Munich Security Conference, ” Locations: Munich, Europe, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, United States, Geneva, American

☆ Opinion | Aleksei Navalny, ‘Indomitable Spirit’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Aleksei Navalny, Putin Critic, Dies in Prison, Russian Authorities Say” (nytimes.com, Feb. 16):Aleksei Navalny’s courage, fortitude, indomitable spirit and unshakable moral clarity will stand the test of time and serve as beacons of hope for victims of oppression and totalitarianism everywhere. While the world mourns amid reports of his passing, Mr. Navalny’s legacy and all that he stood for during his relatively short life will never diminish in their capacity to inspire the collective will to be free despite the seemingly overwhelming obstacles in realizing this basic human desire in many parts of the world, including Mr. Navalny’s homeland. Mark GodesChelsea, Mass. To the Editor:Aleksei Navalny’s heroic efforts for the principles of freedom, even up to his reported death, is in stark contrast to those Republicans in the U.S. Congress who refuse to pass an economic/military aid bill to support Ukraine’s effort to thwart Russia’s invasion. John W. KusekIthaca, N.Y.To the Editor:With the reported death of Aleksei Navalny at 47, after he was apparently in good health and spirits just the day before, the ultimate responsibility rests with Vladimir Putin.

Persons: Aleksei Navalny, Aleksei Navalny’s, Mark Godes Chelsea, John W, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Putin, Russian, U.S, Congress Locations: Navalny’s, Kusek Ithaca, N.Y

☆ Navalny’s death puts a new spotlight on key dividing line between Trump and Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. A few moments earlier, Secretary of State Antony Blinken linked Navalny’s death directly to Russia’s president. Asked whether Navalny’s death might spur Congress to act in providing more Ukraine aid, Biden was hopeful. Even so, Johnson said in a statement Friday that Putin “is likely directly responsible” for Navalny’s death. “I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia,” Biden said in Geneva, where the summit was held.

Persons: Alexey Navalny’s, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Putin, ” Biden, Roosevelt, “ Putin, ” Trump, Nikki Haley, Fani Willis ’, Trump, Putin’s, Biden, “ It’s, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, “, ”, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Putin “, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Trump’s, ” Haley, Truman, “ Trump, he’d, Navalny, we’re, ” Harris, Harris, Navalny’s, CNN’s Haley Britzky, Lauren Fox, Kate Sullivan Organizations: CNN, White, GOP, Fulton, NATO, Biden, Munich Security Conference, Republican, Republicans, Ukraine, Fox News, South Carolina Gov, South, Putin, Super, Ukraine wavers, “, Trump Locations: Washington, Russia, Fulton County, Georgia, Europe, Moscow, Ukraine, Munich, United States, South Carolina, Michigan , Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Geneva, Asia, transatlanticism

☆ Opinion: In Navalny’s death, echoes of Stalin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —We don’t yet know the exact details of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s death, reported Friday by the Russian prison service — and we may never find the precise truth. When the Wall fell, Putin was a KGB officer in Dresden in what was then East Germany. And the most dangerous thing a Russian leader can do is lose a war as the Romanovs did in World War I, which helped spark the Russian revolution in 1917. By contrast with Gorbachev, Stalin ruled with an iron fist and was critical to the Allies winning World War II. How will news of Navalny’s death be received in Russia?

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Alexey Navalny’s, Kamala Harris, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Navalny, Andrei Sakharov, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Mikhail Gorbachev, ” Gorbachev, quagmire, Alexis de Tocqueville, Gorbachev’s, Gorbachev, Stalin, Tucker Carlson’s, Boris Nadezhdin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, Trump Administration, CNN, Munich Security, Human Rights, Soviet Union, Soviet, Kremlin, Great, Literature Locations: New America, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, Eastern Europe, Dresden, East Germany, Afghanistan, Russian

President Joe Biden laid the blame for Alexei Navalny's death squarely at the feet of Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday, saying what happened to the imprisoned opposition leader is "yet more proof of Putin's brutality." He was principled," Biden said at the White House. Navalny envisioned a different Russia – one where the rule of law is respected, and "he knew it was a cause worth fighting for – and even worth dying for," Biden said. "Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. In Munich, at an international security conference, world leaders mourned the loss of Navalny and cast accusatory eyes at Putin.

Persons: Joe Biden, Alexei Navalny's, Vladimir Putin, Biden, Alexei Navalny, Putin, Navalny, Donald Trump –, Navalny –, ” Biden, Kamala Harris, Trump, Truman, Mike Pence, –, ” Pence, Mike Johnson, Navalny's, Yulia Navalnaya, ”, Alexei, he’d Organizations: GOP, White, NATO, Biden, Trump, Republican Party, House Republicans, Louisiana Republican, Republican, Senate, Republicans Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, United States, Louisiana, Munich

☆ Who was Aleksei Navalny? Here’s a timeline.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aleksei A. Navalny, the outspoken activist who Russian authorities said died in prison on Friday, was born on June 4, 1976, according to his website, and grew up outside Moscow to liberal parents who opposed Soviet rule. Starting his political career as an anticorruption blogger who organized street protests, Mr. Navalny mobilized a generation of young Russians through social media and rose to prominence for investigations into Russia’s elite. Here’s a look at Mr. Navalny’s career:2000Mr. Navalny, who had studied law and finance and worked as a real estate lawyer, joined the liberal Yabloko party the same year that Vladimir V. Putin was first elected president of Russia. Looking to organize grass-roots opposition to the Kremlin, he took aim at what he called lawless Moscow construction projects, moderated political debates, started a radio show and criticized pro-Putin tycoons on a widely read blog.

Persons: Aleksei A, Navalny, Navalny’s, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Russia

☆ Tucker Carlson’s Lesson in the Perils of Giving Airtime to an Autocrat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tucker Carlson left Moscow more than a week ago, riding high from an interview with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that returned him to the spotlight after his abrupt cancellation by Fox News last spring. But the interview with the wartime autocrat, mocked in various corners of the political-media world for its soft touch, continues to have a long and tortured afterlife — becoming a trending topic all over again on Friday after Mr. Putin’s most vocal domestic opponent, Aleksei A. Navalny, turned up dead in a Russian prison. “This is what Putin’s Russia is, @TuckerCarlson,” Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman from Wyoming, wrote on X after the news of Mr. Navalny’s death broke on Friday. “And you are Putin’s useful idiot.”Naomi Biden, President Biden’s granddaughter, also weighed in, pointing to a video that Mr. Carlson had recently posted in which he contrasted the supposed splendors of Russia under Mr. Putin’s leadership with the “filth and crime” of the United States. “Has anything aged so poorly, so quickly before?” Ms. Biden wrote on X.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Vladimir V, Putin, Aleksei A, ” Liz Cheney, Navalny’s, ” Naomi Biden, Biden’s, Carlson, Ms, Biden Organizations: Fox News Locations: Moscow, Russia, Wyoming, United States

CNN —Boris Nadezhdin, an anti-war candidate vying for the Russian presidency, said Wednesday he had submitted the signatures required to be listed on the presidential election ballot, potentially allowing him to stand against Vladimir Putin in March. Nadezhdin announced he had delivered 105,000 signatures, the maximum allowed by law, to the Central Election Commission in Moscow, which now has 10 days to review the signatures. Many thanks to those dozens, even hundreds of thousands of people who stood in queues throughout our huge country, in 75 regions of the country, in more than 120 or 130 cities, collecting signatures,” Nadezhdin said at a press conference. Dozens line up to give their signatures in support of Nadezhdin, who hopes to run against Putin in the Russia's March presidential election. He has garnered the support of other prominent Russian opposition figures, including members of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s team and exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who urged Russian citizens to add their signatures for Nadezhdin.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vladimir Putin, Nadezhdin, ” Nadezhdin, Putin, ”, Anatoly, Evgenia Novozhenina, “, I’m, Alexey Navalny’s, oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Yekaterina Duntsova, Duntsova Organizations: CNN, Commission, Putin, Duma, Civic Initiative Party, Russia’s CEC, CEC, Central Locations: Moscow, Russia, Europe, London, Paris, Georgia’s, Tbilisi, Ukraine, Russian

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