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A Hope for Democracy in Russia — Navalny’s Funeral Signifies a Change in Russia?
Thousands of Russians attended Alexei Navalny’s funeral in southeast Moscow, on Friday.
Chants from the crowds directed at the security guards included “assassins” and “Russia will be free,” reflecting the great bravery many showed for being there.
Alexei Navalny was most certainly one of Vladimir Putin’s largest obstacles in Russia since at least Boris Nemtsov, who was killed outside of the Kremlin in 2015.
Navalny stood for democratic principles and widely reported on corruption in Russia. Documentaries his team made showed palaces that Russia built for Putin and his closest enablers. Navalny threatened Putin. And just like Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, he was killed because of Putin’s fears of being toppled.
Navalny was a charismatic man, popular with the Russian public, and committed to reporting the truth in Russia to its citizens. As a result, in 2018, he was denied the option to run as president of Russia against Putin.
It’s worth here to reflect once again on Navalny’s popularity in Russia and why this may make us hopeful for a democratic Russia.
First, let’s reiterate some of the basics.
