With the murder of Alexei Navalny, the dream of beautiful Russia dies. Twelve dead in a shootout between soldiers and criminals in Mexico

When Alexei Navalny returned to Russia from Germany in January 2021 after being poisoned with the biological weapon Novichok and undergoing long medical treatment, many considered this a mistake. Of course, everyone praised his courageous act, but it was also clear to what life behind bars he had condemned himself.

But if Navalny had remained in Europe, he would have been no different from the many exiled Russian opposition activists who discuss how to overthrow Putin’s regime on their YouTube channels. Navalny was always convinced of his political principles, which were more important to him than his own health and life.

Alexei Navalny didn’t just have political ambitions. He recognized the root of the problem and showed Russians that Putin’s regime was built on corruption, lies and blood. His investigation into what former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had to hide and what properties Vladimir Putin’s henchmen owned reached millions of people.

This allowed Navalny to become a well-known figure in the Russian regions and subsequently open offices in many major cities. As a result, many young people have developed a keen interest in politics and protest activism. Alexei Navalny’s contribution to educating civil society is invaluable. With the young generation, far away from theft and corruption, Navalny wanted to build the beautiful Russia of the future.

Society does not deserve Navalny’s sacrifice

Navalny was seriously ill after his poisoning, and after his return to Russia the courts imposed new and new prison sentences on him. And sometimes it seems that Russian society does not deserve Navalny’s self-sacrifice.

Navalny urged people not to be afraid and not to give up. However, after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, millions of people left Russia. There was virtually no one in Russia who took to the streets to support Alexei Navalny. This is what Vladimir Putin was waiting for to destroy his arch-enemy.

The precise wording is important: Navalny did not die, but was murdered. As in February 2015, opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who openly criticized Putin, predicted the war in Ukraine and Russia’s total isolation from Western countries, was murdered in the center of Moscow. But while the murder of an opposition politician in 2015 was a scandalous event, murder is now routine for the Kremlin.

Remarkably, Navalny was assassinated exactly a month before the start of the Russian presidential elections. Vladimir Putin has thus cleared the territory of the main opposition politician, who has long determined the protest mood in Russia. This could indicate that Putin’s new term as president will be accompanied by massive repression.

Great danger for the opposition

Starting this week, anyone who defames the military will have their property confiscated. Putin has introduced a corresponding law. Now Vladimir Putin is apparently close to legalizing death sentences.

In Putin’s Russia, there are no longer any instruments that can protect not only human rights but also life. At any moment you can be sent to the front or to prison, poisoned or shot.

That is why Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara-Murza and other opposition politicians sentenced to long prison terms by Russian courts are now in grave danger. Many people now agree that with Navalny the era of open protest in Russia is over. A new era has begun: open violence.

Alexei Navalny was a symbol of hope and a national hero. The beautiful Russia of the future no longer exists.