Navalny

Introduction

This book is about a man named Alexei Navalny. He is a famous politician in Russia who wants to change the country for the better. He is not afraid to speak out against the powerful people who are corrupt and dishonest.

Russia has been ruled by the same person for a long time. His name is Vladimir Putin. He has a lot of control over everything in Russia, and he does not like anyone who challenges him. He tries to stop Navalny from becoming more popular and successful.

This book tells you how Navalny became a leader of the people who want a different future for Russia. He started by writing about the bad things that the rich and powerful people were doing on a website called LiveJournal. He also showed people how to make noise and protest at the meetings where these people were making decisions. He created a new political party called Russia of the Future, which has many young and smart people who support him.

This book also tells you what Navalny wants to do for Russia, and what Putin has done to stop him. You will learn about the difficulties and dangers that Navalny faces as a politician in Russia.

Lesson 1: Alexei Navalny is a famous Russian politician who wants to change his country.

On January 17, 2021, Alexei Navalny was flying back to Russia from Germany. He had been in Germany for a few months because someone tried to kill him with poison. Many people think that the Russian government was behind this attack. A reporter on the plane asked him, “Are you scared?”

Navalny was 44 years old and he had a good reason to be scared. He knew that the Russian police would arrest him as soon as he landed in Moscow. But he was not afraid. He smiled and said that he was happy to go back to his country. He had been working hard for many years to make Russia a better place, and he was not going to give up.

The main idea of this lesson is: Alexei Navalny is a famous Russian politician who wants to change his country.

Alexei Navalny was born on June 4, 1976 in a small village near Moscow. His mother worked with numbers and his father was a soldier. When he was young, Russia was part of a bigger country called the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had a different system of government and economy than most other countries. The Navalny family did not like this system. Navalny was 17 years old when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. He was happy about this. He hoped that Russia would become a country where people could choose their leaders and buy and sell things freely. He went to a university in Moscow and studied law and economics. After he finished his studies, he made a lot of money by working in banks, stocks, and real estate.

By the year 2000, Navalny was rich and had many friends. He also started to get involved in politics. He wanted to show people what he believed in and what he wanted to do for Russia. He was a smart and honest man who cared about his family. He had some ideas that were popular with some people and unpopular with others. For example, he supported the right of people to marry whoever they wanted, regardless of their gender. But he also wanted to limit the number of foreigners who could come to Russia.

For the last 20 years, Navalny has been trying to change the way things work in Russia. He has been fighting against corruption, which means the misuse of power and money by the people in charge. He has also created his own political party, called Russia of the Future, to challenge the party of Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. Putin’s party has been ruling Russia for a long time and has a lot of power and influence. Navalny is one of the few people who dare to oppose Putin and his party. Navalny is a complex and interesting person, and it is not easy to summarize his life and his goals in a few words.

Lesson 2: Navalny fought against corruption with his money.

Navalny is a brave man. In 2008, he went to a big meeting of a rich oil company called Surgetneftegaz. He asked the boss many hard questions. He wanted to know who really owned the company, why they paid so little to the shareholders, and why they hid their financial information.

The people at the meeting were not happy with Navalny. But Navalny did not care. He wrote about the meeting on his blog, where many people followed him.

The main idea is: Navalny fought against corruption with his money.

Russia used to be part of the USSR, a big country that broke up in 1991. After that, Russia became a market economy, where people could buy and sell things freely. But some people got very rich by taking the public property of the USSR. They also paid the government to do what they wanted. These people are called oligarchs. Putin, the leader of Russia, works with them to make more money.

Navalny wanted to stop this corruption. In 2006, he started to buy small parts of big companies like Surgetneftegaz. This way, he could see their financial information and ask them questions. He exposed their secrets on his blog.

In 2010, he found out that Transneft, another oil company, had lost $4 billion when building a big pipeline. He told the government to investigate. The government did not do much, but the media started to talk more about corruption.

In 2012, Navalny made fighting corruption his main goal. He created an organization called FBK. This organization collects money to investigate corruption. It also makes YouTube videos to show how the rich and powerful steal from the people. Many people watch these videos and support Navalny. But the government and the oligarchs hate him.

Lesson 3: Navalny wanted to change the government of Russia.

Navalny liked politics a lot. When he was young, he read books by famous thinkers like Voltaire. He also watched the news to see what was happening in Russia after the USSR broke up. When he was 40, he wanted to be the president of Russia.

Navalny started his campaign in 2016. He made a YouTube video to tell people what he wanted to do. He talked about problems like unfairness, taxes, foreign policy, and corruption. He tried hard to get into the election, but the government stopped him. They said he had done something illegal with money, but that was not true.

Navalny did not become the president, but he still wanted to change things.

The main idea is: Navalny wanted to change the government of Russia.

Navalny had different political views at different times. When he was in college, he liked the new market economy in Russia. Then, he became a businessman and joined a small party that wanted more democracy. Navalny became a leader in that party, but the party did not have much power.

In the 2000s, Navalny became more nationalist. He left his party and made a new one called NAROD. NAROD wanted more freedom for businesses, but also more control over immigrants and Russian culture. This group did not last long, but Navalny still had some nationalist ideas.

Navalny became famous for fighting corruption. He wrote on his blog and other places about how the government and the rich people were stealing from the people. He did not like the United Russia party, which was Putin’s party. He called them “a party of crooks and thieves.” In 2011, he told people to vote for anyone who could make United Russia weaker. But United Russia still won, so Navalny led protests in Moscow. He also ran for mayor of Moscow, but he lost.

Navalny did not give up. He wanted to run for president again in 2018. He knew it would be hard to beat Putin, but he hoped to make United Russia weaker. But the government said he could not run because of the money charges, which were not fair. Navalny had to keep fighting as a protester.

Lesson 4: Navalny made many people join his fight for change.

Russia says it is a democracy. That means people can vote for different leaders and parties. But in reality, the same party always wins. This party is Putin’s party, and it is not fair.

Some people want to change this. They cannot do it by voting, so they do it by protesting. Protesting means going out on the streets and saying what you want. Protesting is hard, but it can make people listen.

Navalny wanted to be a leader, but the government did not let him. So he decided to protest more. He was good at protesting and made many people join him.

The main idea is: Navalny made many people join his fight for change.

Navalny liked to protest. In 2011, he went to a protest against the election. The election was not fair, and Putin’s party won too much. The police took him and 300 other protesters to jail. When he got out, he went to another protest. He said the government was not democratic.

Later, Navalny wanted to be the president. He knew the government would try to stop him. He worked with his friend Volkov to make a plan. They used social media and big rallies to get people excited. They made people go out and protest in many cities.

Navalny also reached out to different people in different places. He opened offices and talked to local groups. When the government did not let them protest, they found other ways. They met in private places.

Navalny’s supporters were not only young and rich people. They also included workers, old people, and poor people. When the police took Navalny to jail in 2021, his supporters were ready. They went out to protest again.

Lesson 5: Putin and his party do not want Navalny or anyone else to challenge them.

Russia is very cold in winter. The days are short and the nights are long. But in 2021, many people went out to protest in the cold. They were angry because the police took Navalny to jail.

Navalny had been poisoned before. He went to Germany to get better. Then he came back to Russia, but the police said he broke the rules of his parole. His parole was from an old case where they said he stole money, but that was not true.

Did Putin care about the protests? We don’t know. His spokesperson said Navalny was not a problem. But the government still tried to stop Navalny and his supporters.

The main idea is: Putin and his party do not want Navalny or anyone else to challenge them.

Putin and his party have been in power for a long time. They control the government, the media, and the people’s opinions. They do not want anyone to question them. They try to make Navalny look bad.

One way they do this is by praising Putin a lot. They have events where they say Putin is a great leader who loves Russia and protects it from Europe. They make people think that anyone who opposes Putin is a traitor.

They also try to hide any information that makes them look bad. In 2017, they made a law that let them keep secrets about any government official. This made it hard for Navalny and his team to find out the truth about corruption. They also watch the internet and stop any messages that criticize Putin.

They also try to change the rules of the elections. They still let people vote, but they make it hard for anyone else to run. In 2019, Navalny and his friends wanted to run for the city council in Moscow, but the government did not let them. The only way people can show their anger is by protesting.

Lesson 6: Navalny is still in jail, but his supporters keep fighting.

Navalny went to court on February 2, 2021. The police took him when he came back to Russia. They said he broke the rules of his parole. He had to see the parole officers twice a month, but he did not do that when he was in the hospital in Germany. He was in the hospital because someone poisoned him.

But the real reason Navalny was in trouble was not the parole. His supporters said he was in trouble because he did not like Putin and his party, and because he did not die from the poison.

The court said Navalny was guilty. They sent him to jail for two years and eight months. He is still in jail now, in September 2021. He is in a place where he has to work hard. We don’t know what will happen to him and his ideas.

The main idea is: Navalny is still in jail, but his supporters keep fighting.

Navalny has a hard time in jail. The guards are mean to him. They scold him for small things, like wearing a T-shirt or talking to a guard. They also say he might try to escape, so they wake him up every hour at night. Navalny tried to protest by not eating, but he stopped after a month. He did not get what he wanted.

Outside of jail, the government is trying to stop Navalny’s group. They arrested his friends and his workers. They also said his group was “extremist.” That means they are dangerous and illegal. People cannot give money to his group, and his workers might go to jail too.

Navalny did not do much in politics. He came second in the election for the mayor of Moscow in 2013. Many people know his name, but not many people like what he does.

But Navalny did some good things too. He showed people the problems in Russia, and how the government is not fair. He also told people how to vote smarter, to make Putin’s party weaker. And he made many young people want to change things. They might make Russia better in the future.

Final summary

Alexei Navalny is a famous person who does not like Putin and his party. He used to be a businessman, but then he decided to fight against corruption. Corruption is when people in power do bad things with money. He wanted to make Putin’s party weaker, so he started a big movement. In 2020, someone tried to kill him with poison. Then the police took him to jail for a fake reason. But many people still follow his ideas and want to change Russia.

About the author

Jan Matti Dollbaum is a person who studies Russian people. He works at Bremen University.

Morvan Lallouet is a person who studies Russian politics. He works at University of Kent.

Ben Noble is a teacher of Russian politics at University College London. His work is about how Putin and his party rule Russia, and how other people try to challenge them.

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