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Navalny’s return to Russia: a missed opportunity or systemic failure?

Details: 01 March 2021; Ofer Fridman

Alexei Navalny’s much-publicized return to Russia, his arrest and criminal trial triggered a new wave of protests across Russia. However, according to Ofer Fridman, this short-lived upheaval has been a wasted historical opportunity to turn anti-Putin activism into pro-Russia politics.

Details: Analysis

Reserves of Money and Reserves of Patience

Details: 18 February 2021; Vladislav Inozemtsev

By the end of 2020, the Russian economy was less affected by the pandemic than most of the G20 countries, with its GDP drop being one of the smallest in the group. This achievement, however, stands in stark contrast with the authorities’ inadequate reaction to Alexei Navalny’s return to Russia and the protests in his support. Skillfully conserving its financial reserves, the Kremlin is recklessly wasting resources of public trust, thus making the Russian political system increasingly vulnerable.

Details: Analysis

Can New Sanctions Against Russia Work?

Details: 11 February 2021; Yana Gorokhovskaia

Last week, Alexei Navalny’s team announced that they would focus on achieving his release not through more street protests but through international policy tools such as sanctions. While more sanctions against Russia are likely, they remain a foreign policy tool with serious limitations.

Details: Analysis

Moscow vs Regions: Who “Feeds” Whom?

Details: 04 February 2021; András Tóth-Czifra

The rift between “rich” Moscow and “poor” regions has deep roots in Russia, but the inequality between them has become alarmingly more pronounced in recent years, turning into a crucial political and economic issue. While the polemics about pampered Muscovites living off the regions’ money, or incompetent regional elites mismanaging their turfs, often capture public imagination, the real picture is more complicated.

Details: Human Rights

January 2021: Alexey Navalny, Azat Miftakhov, Perm activists

Details: 04 February 2021; Diana Fishman

January saw plenty of political turbulence in Russia—from opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s return to Russia and immediate arrest to mass protests that resulted in a harsh police crackdown. Also last month, Azat Miftakhov, a graduate student of mathematics at Moscow State University, was convicted in a politically motivated case, while in Perm, the prosecutor demanded to toughen the punishment for local activists in the so-called “Putin doll” case, deeming the initial sentence too lenient.

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