Navalny’s biggest challenge now is to prove that he’s a national leader who can speak to Russians beyond the cities with a substantial middle class.
Moscow
Assassination in Moscow
The murder of Boris Nemtsov is a watershed for Russia. The culture of violence fueled by the war in Ukraine has claimed its first victim on the streets of Moscow.
Nemtsov tirelessly challenged lies, injustice, and war. His assassination is an attack on freedom-loving people everywhere.
Putin’s Moscow is Anxious, Gilded and Hollow
Moscow is always a surprising kind of place. I expected Putin’s us-against-them nationalism to be more strident than ever. But I find the city uncharacteristically subdued and anxious about the future.
Winning by Losing
“I’m trying to understand: is this a demonstration of victory or defeat?” Alexei Navalny asked. The crowd gave him a resounding answer. In recent years, the words “Russian opposition leader” connoted “loser.” No longer.
Time Is Catching Up with Putin
Vladimir Putin’s biggest enemy isn’t his opposition, but the simple passage of time.
Behind the Scenes of a Protest Blog
I’ll make a confession: the anti-government rallies that broke out in Moscow a year ago really annoyed me. Like Vladimir Putin, I had completely different plans than to worry about protesting middle-class Muscovites.
Face Without a Man
Vladimir Putin’s meeting with journalist Masha Gessen reveals the advanced stage of his megalomania. He is like the magician who bungles a trick and then asks his audience defiantly: “What? You really thought I was cutting the lady in half?”
On the Moscow Witch Trial
The judiciary is the Putin system’s last line of defense. The president stands fast behind the fairy tale of Russia’s impartial, independent courts. Mumbling judges, bumbling prosecutors and crumbling testimonies are the props for due process.
Kafka Is a Moscow Traffic Cop
When a friend had to register her car, I took pity on her and agreed to tag along. Besides providing moral support, I hoped to gain insight into Russia’s most despised government agency: the traffic police. It was a futile undertaking.
Contrarian Redux
Robert Shlegel’s peers contrast Russia’s archaic political system with advanced western democracies. Shlegel compares it to the North Korean-style dictatorship he witnessed growing up in Turkmenistan.
