MovieChat Forums > Alexei Navalny Discussion > Why was he important

Why was he important


I dkn't know anything about the guy except he was a Putin opponent.
I don't get why they tried to poison him or killed him. I mean, in a corrupt country you can just let him go free and just rig the elections.

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one possibility: Russian intelligence services has learned of a plot to assassinate Putin and replace him with Navalny by western backers and their Russian implants in the gov. Removing him would have spoiled that plan - since without this established and built up proxy, there would have been no way to ensure that another fellow that would take over the reins post-putin-assassination wouldn't be even more anti-west oriented. It takes a while to build up characters like Navalny - replacing them with a new implant wouldn't be easy -

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Not so far fetched. Given that all the MSM was boosting this relatively new guy eith basically nothing tangible under his belt.

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That's actually quite far fetched. 🤣

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well, why?

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Because he pulled it out of his ass. Where's the evidence for this? It might be a fun "what if". But it's far fetched.

Navalny was not a "new guy". He was originally a right wing Russian nationalist who moderated his views and became an anti-corruption advocate.

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I dont see as faf fetched the theory that at one point some people in power started to support him seeing him as a viable alternative.
Assasination angle is of course dumb, maybe he was a fall back scenario guy in case x, y or z happened to Putin, and there was a power vacuum.
Ridiculous, yes, far fetched...not entirely sure.

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It is not far fetched, if while he was in prison, his people were establishing a network and links in the government who would serve as the backbone of his rise to power. It is all hypothetical -

When US orchestrated a coup in Ukraine, they had several people lined up for the job - that's what makes this scenario so plausible.

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Ah yes, the Ukrainians were just mere puppets unable to decide for themselves their future and are just pulled along by whatever the US said. The level of support that Putins party and his ideology has in Russian society is too entrenched. It's impossible to just assassinate him and instantly replace him and all of his party with an entirely new set of people.

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now you are really showing your ignorance - still haven't mastered google?

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No-one said the USA wasn't supporting them. I just reject the characterisation that they had no agency.

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it was indeed a 'what if' -
he wasn't as much of anti-corruption advocate, as he was anti-regime character - being actively helped by the western powers in his endeavor. The counter to my theory would have been the fact that there are several prominent (and equally corrupt lol) Russian political figures hiding out in the west, so if Putin were to be taken out, I suspect they'd be quickly moved to Russia in order to attempt to take the throne.

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The false premise in your analysis here is that all power in Russia is solely concentrated on Putin, and that just removing him somehow means its possible to replace the entire civil service, party officials, military, police, judiciary etc. It just isn't.

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"relatively new guy"?

Navalny has been well known in Russia for nearly two decades.

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Well, to the rest of the world he was pretty much non existent, if not for the media coverage of his poisoning.

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He wasn't at all. You not paying attention doesn't mean he was non-existent. He was a well known Russian figure for decades.

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So that basically means that he was seen by the current regime as the biggest inside political threat to the current regime?

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I don't know about now, but just that he wasn't some newcomer.

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Yeah if foreign media shines a light on a political opponent of the leader of a country, that means that foreign countries are going to assassinate that leader.

Makes perfect sense.

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Your irony is probably lost on the OP.
But I like the idea.
We'll shine a special light on Putin and his entourage. 😈​

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Be realistic people. It ain't spy movie.

Navalny had no chance to become any president. As he had very little support from russian people. If there would be fair elections he would have like 3-5% of votes. It's just that his hipster supporters are loud on social media and there are no other opposition in russia. So people and foreign press hyped him. But absolute majority of russians are die-hard fanatics of putin and would not submit to Navalny.

When putin will die (hopefully soon) there would be other transition of power. One of his henchmen will take it, probably and who knows what they will do next.

There was 0.0% of anyone assassinating putin and putting Navalny in charge. It's very silly and stupid assumption. It ain't Lifetime movie, people.

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That is tho whole point of my post.
I have never seen Navalny as any realistic alternative to any leadership of russia, therefore I cannot understand why people would try to poison/imprison/kill him.
Why would someone in power go through so much effort to silence a guy that would eventually, if left alone, just be ignored and forgotten.

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I explained why. Because putin is crazy dictator and maniac. People in the west operate by their own logic and common sense moderating behavior on them. Not understanding that mind of nazi russians and russian hitler operate on other level.

They did it because they could and wanted. Like they do other things. Stop trying to find any logic in their actions. There isn't.

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What a load of speculative drivel. Ah yes, because assassinating the head of a nuclear state wouldn't cause any unintended consequences.

How were they going to extract him from a prison in Yamalo-Nenets?

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putin is crazy maniac dictator and very petty and envy one. Those kind of people don't stand any opposition or anyone who they think might be liked by public. That dude was young, good looking and some young russians worshiped him like a celebrity. And people in the West treated him like Golden Boy of russian opposition.

He had no chance to survive in putins russia. He was just too stupid to understand it. Too proud
and narcissistic. He thought he was such big star that purin would not dare to arrest him. Even after putin poisoned him - everyone told him to stay in Europe. But he was like: "Nah, it will be fine". And came back and was arrested and thrown in prison.

russian media were ordered to shadow ban him. It was forbidden to even mention his name anywhere in press. They acted like he didn't exist. You could only hear about him if you go to Internet.

People in the West really don't understand how crazy putin is.

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Watch the Oscar winning doc about him.

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my favorite oscar-winning doc is 'the white helmets' How about you? lol

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His YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/АлексейНавальный/videos

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Rename Behrenstraße in Berlin to Alexei Navalny Street!

With this petition we want to pay tribute to his fight for democracy, and to recognize in his person the immeasurable contribution to this fight of all victims of the Russian regime.

We propose renaming the section of Behrenstraße between Glinka and Wilhelm Streets to Alexei Navalny Street. This section is home to the Consulate of the Russian Federation and the residences of Russian diplomats.

Alexei Anatolievich Navalny was a Russian lawyer, anti-corruption activist, opposition politician and dissident. He was politically persecuted, barely survived poisoning, then imprisoned where he was tortured for years and finally killed on February 16, 2024.

Throughout his political career, Alexei Navalny performed outstanding deeds and will be remembered first and foremost as an undoubted leader of the anti-Putin opposition.

Alexei was characterized by his honesty, openness and fearlessness in his beliefs. At the time of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Navalny was already in custody. During a regular court session, he said the following

"Dear court, I want to state officially and on the record: I am against this war. I consider it immoral, fratricidal and criminal. It was unleashed by the Kremlin gang to make it easier for them to steal. They kill in order to steal. I thought it was important to say it under the record. So that it stays. So that I myself will always remember - I said these words at the moment when they should have been said. I'm against this war. Say it too."

In a message to the Russian people, Alexei Navalny urged us in the event of his assassination not to give up.
....
....
https://www.change.org/p/rename-behrenstra%C3%9Fe-in-berlin-to-alexei-navalny-street


Almost 28,000 signed the petition within 3 days. 👆🏽​

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P.S.

Berlin's Mayor Kai Wegner is open to Navalny Square in Berlin 👍🏽​
https://www.t-online.de/region/berlin/id_100348228/berlin-kai-wegner-offen-fuer-benennung-eines-platzes-nach-alexej-nawalny.html

🐻​ --> Berlin bear

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Now more than 29,000 signed the petition. 🐻

https://www.change.org/p/rename-behrenstra%C3%9Fe-in-berlin-to-alexei-navalny-street

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More than 30,000 now. 🐻

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More than 31,000 now. 🐻

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More than 41,000 now. 🐻

Really good that Garry Kasparov signed. ♥
(Russian opposition politician, World Chess Champion)
https://www.change.org/p/rename-behrenstra%C3%9Fe-in-berlin-to-alexei-navalny-street

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Some more who signed the Petition:

Ludmila Ulitskaya (writer)
Olga Romanova (human rights activist) and Russland hinter Gittern e.V. (Russia behind Bars)
MEMORIAL Deutschland e.V.
Demokrati-JA e.V.
#FreeNavalny Deutschland
Reforum Space Berlin
PANDA platforma e.V.
Quarteera e.V.
Forum russischsprachiger Europäer e.V. (Forum of Russian-speaking Europeans)
Association of Municipal Deputies "Deputies of Peaceful Russia"
Freies Russland NRW e.V.
Solidarus e.V.
Berlin anti-war initiative NxT
Deutsch-Russischer Menschenrechte-Dialog e.V. (German-Russian Dialogue on Human Rights)
Leonid Gozman (Russian opposition politician)
Sergei Lukashevsky (human rights activist) and "Radio Sakharov"
Allianz für ein freiheitlich-demokratisches Russland e.V. (Alliance for a Free Democratic Russia)
Initiative "Horizonte Exilhilfe" (Horizons. Exile Aid)
Public Foundation MRR ("My Russian Rights")
Stuttgart activist group
Initiative "Evropeyskiy Peterburg" (European Petersburg)
Initiative "Peredachi" (Shipments for political prisoners)
Alexander Delfinov (poet and performer)
Andrei Arkhangelsky (journalist)
Mikhail Kaluzhsky (playwright, theater researcher)
Yuri Pivovarov (historian, political scientist)
Marat Gelman (gallery owner)
Alexander Smolyansky (director)
Andrey Mosiseikin (municipal deputy of the Dvortsovy district of St. Petersburg)
Olga Galkina (Russian opposition politician)
Elena Efros and Elena Ilyina (participants of the initiative "Tales for Political Prisoners")
Initiative Stop dictators HD
Artur Solomonov (writer)
Vladimir Kaminer (writer)
Juri Wechsler (journalist)
Ekkehard Maaß (german bard and human rights activist)
Elena Stein (social activist)
Maria Tunkara (blogger)
Alexander Mindlin (Berlin guide)
Richard-Roman King (Omsk Civic Association)

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More than 42,000 now. 🐻

And please more international pressure on 'our' chancellor.
Scholz = grinning pimple in Putin's pocket. ☻
Netherlands!...where are you?!

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More than 45,000 now. 🐻

https://www.change.org/p/rename-behrenstra%C3%9Fe-in-berlin-to-alexei-navalny-street

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More than 46,000 now. 🐻
Memento.......................

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More than 47,000 now. 🐻

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Don't name anything after him. He was unfairly threaten and killed in prison by putin and his regime. But he was no saint.

He was russian chauvinist and imperialist. Because all russians and even their opposition are. He was pro-russia when russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. And only later changed his mind. When putin started attacking him. He was putins political opponent. But he wasnt against russian fascism.

That's the problem with all russian opposition. They blame only putin and pretend russians are his victims and should be spared of any responsibility. When Navalny was was still free and was running around russia, being in opposition, he was directly asked if he would give back Crimea if he would become president of russia. And he said that "Crimea is not a sandwich to toss it around". Meaning he will not give it back. Despite it was hypothetical question and he would never become president. Yet, still in his mind it was "his", "russian" and he would not give it away even despite publicly saying it was wrong to steal it.

He died only because his ego was too big and he didn't believe putin will throw him and prison. And if putin will do - world would be offended and force putin to release him. And then World didn't care. They kept working with russia like it's nothing.

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tl;dr 🧦​ 👋​

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Something to keep in mind of Navalny, as much as he represented an 'alternative' to Putin is that he was ALSO a Russian nationalist and supported the annexation of Crimea.

He was not at all popular in Ukraine, btw. Just a wrinkle in our somewhat simplified narrative on the situation.

All that said, he had tremendous guts, deserved a far better fate than he received. But again, otoh, he walked right back into the mouth of the lion.

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