Just a couple of days after Vladimir Putin’s electoral setback, Russian police have
arrested a number of protesters, including veteran liberal politician Boris Nemtsov and the popular blogger Alexei Navalny.
This is the umpteenth time that Nemtsov, the former deputy prime minister of Russia, has been manhandled by the Russian state. He also spent some time in jail at the beginning of 2011 and was subjected to strenuous treatment. But, it is unusual for Navalny to have been pulled in. He is an activist who’s gained prominence among Russian bloggers and reformers. He is not “Russia’s Erin Brockovich”, as hailed by Time Magazine, and many of his recent remarks contain more than a dollop of Russian xenophobia. For evidence of his darker side see this clip where Navalny offers his audience a number of anti-Semitic hints. But he has emerged as the hero of the election.
As Russia specialist Ben Judah notes, ‘The Russian public are quite used to Nemtsov being arrested at rallies. What is different this time is not his arrest but the rallies themselves: not just old pensioners and punks anymore but far more mainstream, younger demonstrators and an atmosphere of excitement.’
Part of the Russian leadership’s concern is that the opposition was more successful than anyone expected, thanks to an informal agreement between the Communists and the Liberal opposition not to undermine and in some cases help prevent ballot stuffing and “carousel” double-voting. This is what’s different this time. The protests are not just a nuisance, but are now seen as a real threat as Putinism begins to collapse under the weight of corruption, an economic slowdown and cultural stagnation.
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