Spiegel Online: Alexei Navalny Shakes Up a Slumbering Russia

Russia’s young are no longer staying quiet about the country’s corruption. “A singular wave of protests hit 82 cities across the land on Sunday, March 26, from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg, as people took to the streets to protest corruption,” reports Christian Esch for Spiegel Online. He goes on to describe angry confrontations between police and crowds. The Russian legal system is harsh on opposition and protesters. The new movement’s leader is attorney and activist Alexei Navalny who maintains a blog on corruption cases and released a YouTube film in March about Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev who has accrued luxury properties registered under charitable foundations. Russia’s presidential election is set for March 2018, candidates without parties must collect 300,000 signatures dispersed among 40 regions, and Navalny is already organizing a populist network at universities to challenge Putin, popular and respected for his foreign policy skills. The election would be Putin’s last, per the current constitution. Many Russians are weary of corruption but wonder if momentum for an independent candidate without party backing can be maintained. – YaleGlobal