Mainstream
Mainstream, VOL LIX No 9, New Delhi, February 13, 2021
Navalny Vs. Putin — Russia In Turmoil | R G Gidadhubli
Friday 12 February 2021
by R.G.Gidadhubli *
Alexei Navalny has hit the media headlines both in Russia and abroad in January 2021. Hence several questions arise. Why Navalny has gained so much immense popularity both domestically in Russia and globally? At the same time why despite getting immense popularity, he has been facing repeated punishment of imprisonment by the Russian government? An effort has been made to enquire and seek answers to these questions.
Navalny Contentions
44-year-old law graduate from Moscow, Alexei Navalny’s rise as a force in Russian politics began in 2008 when he started an anti-corruption campaign and formed Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) to promote and carry out his objective and activities. After, over a decade of having started this organisation, he has emerged as a political activist in Russia gaining huge popularity in the country despite not being a member of any political party but possibly getting direct and indirect support. He alleged malpractices and corruption at some of Russia’s big state-controlled corporations.