Making sense of Navalny's death
#56
Dear Friends of Democracy,
How do people in Russia feel these days whose hope for change was once closely linked to the name "Navalny"?
I cannot imagine.
It must be much worse than I feel here in Germany, far away from Wladimir Putin's reign of terror.
But even I am heavy-hearted. It's now almost a week since Alexei Navalny has been dead. But I can't get him out of my mind. I have never met Navalny. Of course, I had read about him and seen the award-winning documentary. But I never felt close to him. I thought so. But now, since he's been dead, I am not just sad but feeling hopeless.
Why do I feel this way? It's probably because Navalny was Putin's only opponent I know of, at least, the only one I would have wanted to overthrow Putin. Now, it seems Putin is the sole ruler for all time.
But he isn’t.
Putin's power will fade like that of all dictators. And it doesn't take much imagination to assume that some who will overthrow Putin will have Navalny in their thoughts. It will strengthen them in their actions. And in this respect, Alexei Navalny's death will not have been in vain.
✊,
Johannes Eber