Alexei Navalny is a rather notorious persona non grata, and certain people in Russia and the Ukraine are unhappy that the film bearing his name just won an Oscar for Best Documentary. It’s likely uncomfortable that Navalny’s name is out in public at all; journalists in Russia are not allowed to name him when they write about him. Putin won’t even name Navalny when he talks about him. Some Ukrainians aren’t sure if Navalny’s really on their side or if he’s Putin-lite, and he’s alleged to have made racist statements.
Navalny is currently serving an almost twelve-year prison sentence and has, in essence, been warned that if he doesn’t quit rocking the boat, he’ll be behind bars even longer.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Taking Up More Room to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.