The recently-held Presidential Election in Russia was a smooth one. It is because even the faintest hope of opposition vanished with the sudden demise (murder?) of Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny (June 4, 1976, – February 16, 2024), the main critic and political rival of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

Navalny was in the Arctic Prison Colony at the time of his unnatural death. He had been in jail since August 2023 on various charges, including founding and financing extremist organisations. The leader of the Opposition, who was awarded a 19-year prison sentence, was transferred to an Arctic Prison Colony in December 2023. Before his arrival in that colony, he was serving a jail term near Moscow on other charges.

Commenting on the mysterious death of Navalny, a Human Rights activist has suggested that the Russian Opposition leader might have been fatally struck with a “single punch to the heart“, leading to his death. Vladimir Osechkin, the founder of Gulagu.net, recently told the Times of London: “It is an old method of the KGB’s special forces divisions. They trained their operatives to kill a man with one punch in the heart, in the centre of the body. It was a hallmark of the KGB.” A number of European countries and the US have blamed President Putin for the sudden demise of his political rival. So far, none of the political rivals of the Russian strongman have led a normal life. While some of them have been forced to leave Russia, some are in jail, and others have died in mysterious circumstances. Hence, it can be assumed that Navalny is the latest victim of President Putin’s grudge!

Navalny, a lawyer and an anti-corruption activist, organised a number of anti-Government demonstrations, in the last two decades, apart from running for office and advocating reforms against corruption. With the help of his YouTube channel and other social media platforms, he exposed the corrupt activities of the Putin Administration. His move helped Navalny to gain huge popularity across the country. His personality and sharp rhetoric triggered mass protests during Putin’s re-election to the Presidency in 2011. In 2013, Navalny defeated Putin’s candidate in the Mayoral Election in Moscow. His remarkable political achievements prompted the Kremlin to keep him out of electoral politics by taking various undemocratic measures.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the 1993 Constitution declared Russia a Democratic and Federal State to be run by a Democratic form of Government based on the Rule of Law. Unfortunately, President Putin has successfully installed an Authoritarian System in Russia.

Navalny’s demise has once again proved the real character of Russia. It is worth noting that despite the Putin Administration‘s repeated attacks on the Freedom of Speech and Civil Liberties, adequate international pressure has not been created against Russia so far. It is still not possible for the global community to bring President Putin to justice. Apart from issuing statements criticising the Russian President, the Western flag bearers of Democracy do not seem particularly upset about Putin. In the contemporary world, people tolerate authoritarian rule to a large extent across the globe. Certainly, it is a matter of great concern!

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das