Interview, Other
The life of Alexei Navalny
The EconomistAlexei Navalny, Sam Colbert, Pete Naughton, Ksenia Barakovskaya, Lika Kremer, Weidong Lin, Darren Ng, John Shields
- Alexei Navalny is expected to die in a remote Arctic penal colony after being placed in solitary confinement; his health is deteriorating rapidly with insufficient food causing rapid weight loss and potential death by starvation.
- The Kremlin plans to prevent Navalny's return to Russian soil following his medical treatment in Berlin, believing Putin refuses to see him again.
- The war in Ukraine is projected to strengthen Ukraine's national identity while simultaneously awakening a new sense of national consciousness among Russian opposition.
- A shift in the Russian government is predicted as a necessary condition to prevent the outbreak of future wars; without such a change, conflict is expected to resume regardless of current hostilities.
- Russia's national interest is defined as ending the war, withdrawing troops from all Ukrainian territory, utilizing oil and gas revenues for compensation, and prosecuting war criminals.
- Putin is expected to deliver Stalinist-era sentences to opponents to extinguish their hope, while Navalny anticipates the ultimate end of Putin's rule.
- Supporters anticipate that the current version of Russia envisioned by Navalny will be confined to a remote prison cell, while the political atmosphere suggests a historic movement against the Kremlin.
- Public sentiment suggests tens of millions seek the truth, and individuals previously identifying differently from Russian nationals are moving toward a stronger identification with Russia, a process expected to take years.
- Navalny expressed confidence that Kremlin officials are aware of the opposing historic current and fear his influence, despite his current isolation.