The news of Alexei Navalny’s death caused Russians in several cities to take to the streets. At various memorials, people gathered, laid flowers and showed their support for the dead opposition politician.
– It was expected that many of his supporters would express their grief and dismay in this way. With calm, careful and symbolic actions such as laying down flowers, says Martin Kragh.
Several people were arrested in connection with the demonstrations and protests. According to the BBC over 200 people.
Kragh: Can’t really protest
Russia expert and researcher Martin Kragh believes that the slightest protest in authoritarian Russia can be met with very harsh reprisals.
– People are sentenced in Russia to 10-15 years in prison for protesting the war and for criticizing Putin. So it’s a very difficult situation for people who want to voice protests. It doesn’t really work, says Martin Kragh.
The news of Navalny’s death, which both his family and a large number of host leaders hold Putin responsible for, Martin Kragh believes, can arouse great anger among many in Russia.
– Then there are those in Russia who openly support Putin and believe everything that the Russian state media says. They will believe the official image.
Difficult to predict the consequences
At present, Martin Kragh sees no signs that Navalny’s death would lead to any instability in Russia.
– But this is the type of event that could potentially have sparked larger protests or even further than that. But at the moment, Putin seems to keep power very much intact with the help of a harsh repressive apparatus and the ongoing war which puts another wet blanket over the whole society in Russia.
At the same time, he believes that the development of events can move quickly. Earlier authoritarian systems have looked stable, then the change has come suddenly.
– It is very difficult to predict in some cases what happens like in the Arab Spring or when the Berlin Wall fell over 30 years ago. But if it happens in Russia, well maybe, maybe not. We don’t have a good answer to that question.
Kragh: Other prisoners may face the same fate
Navalny’s death was announced by the Russian Criminal Service but has also been confirmed by his spokesperson. On Saturday, word came that his body was not in the morgue that the authorities thought it would be in.
– There is little that the outside world can do to shed further light on what has happened. And there is no indication that Russian authorities will be prepared to tell the truth about Navalnjy’s death, says Martin Kragh.
Much of the Russian opposition, like Navalny, has been forced into exile or imprisoned.
– The big danger now is that many of those who are imprisoned risk the same fate as Navalnjy because their conditions are very similar to those he was exposed to in his last years.