“Die here, like we do!”
Alexei Navalny in Russia’s public opinion
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Alexei Navalny’s rise from blogger on the margins, to virtuous warrior against corruption, and then to the best-known opposition figure in Russia, has taken ten years. Using social media and visual communication, he has established a counter-public arena and has created a political infrastructure that covers the entire country, despite the repressive measures against him. His fame increased from year to year. Yet the majority of the population does not sup-port him. Older people and TV consumers in particular have proven susceptible to the Kremlin propaganda: Navalny is said to be a spy from the West, and to have staged his poisoning in August 2020 himself. Navalny’s incarceration could mean the end of his political career. Yet the corruption, stagnation and self-isolation of the Putin system will continue to provoke attacks by the opposition. It would be premature to write Navalny off – assuming he survives prison.
(Osteuropa 3/2021, pp. 39–49)