Recent citizen protests show Russians are tired of being oppressed by President Vladimir Putin’s fascism, yet opposition leader Alexei Navalny isn’t taking public support passively.
More than being anti-fascist, Navalny is giving citizens something to fight for. His outspoken criticism of Putin has thrown a wrench into the Kremlin’s staunch control of the country in the form of hope.
Increasingly, the Kremlin’s regime is being described as fascist, which might just hit the mark. A fascist regime is a far-right, authoritarian dictatorial regime characterized by forcible uniformity of society and the economy, and by the continued repression of opposition—which is what we have seen in recent events surrounding Navalny.
“I have deeply offended him by surviving the assassination attempt that he ordered,” Navalny said of Putin from a glass cage inside a courtroom. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on Feb. 2.
Navalny was arrested for violating parole terms from his 2014 suspended sentence for embezzlement. The period in which he was said to have been violating these terms was when he was seeking treatment in Berlin following his August 2020 poisoning.
Why is Navalny’s outspokenness so important to the future of Russian society? While many are appalled and horrified at the injustice surrounding the opposition leader’s arrest, Navalny’s rebellion against the Kremlin sparks an ideological conversation about the corruption which has defined Russia’s government since the beginning of the Putin years in 2000.
The Kremlin’s brutal drive to remain in power with strict societal control has allowed Russia to be categorized as being run by a fascist regime. Putin’s 21-year rule has seen corruption, fraud, unlawful arrests, convictions and deaths of those who openly disagree with their policies and practices.
Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, whose death is detailed in Bill Browder’s 2015 book Red Notice and is the driving force behind the Magnitsky legislation, is one example of the many brutal deaths of those who chose to openly disagree with the Kremlin’s practices. Implemented by Canada, the U.S., Britain, the European Union and others, the Magnitsky legislation imposed sanctions on foreign individuals involved in human rights violations.
The situation of Russia today is not unlike the strict authoritarianism seen under Joseph Stalin’s rule in the Soviet Union—although ideologically, Stalin opposed fascism. A better historical parallel for Russia’s current situation could be Fascist Italy.
Under Benito Mussolini, Italy saw censorship laws, forcible suppression of opponents and the implementation of the Acerbo Law that would rig elections—all part of Italy’s former fascist political dictatorship which is beginning to bear more and more similarity to Putin’s Russia.
Russia has effectively flipped in its ideological leanings. In moving away from the Soviet Union’s communism, the country found itself entangled in a corrupt, fascist system which is exactly what Stalin opposed during the former U.S.S.R.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the beginning of the Putin years, Putin and his gang of oligarchs have proven they’ll stop at nothing to ensure they remain in power—as any good fascists would.
Navalny was called the “anti-Putin” because of his goal to break Russia away from its fascist regime under Putin and instead—along with his Russia of the Future Party—decentralize power, end repressive censorship and battle corruption. Having David versus Goliath bravery, Navalny represents someone who is willing to challenge looming authority and fight for democracy in Russia.
The mass protests that immediately followed Navalny’s arrest were fuelled by anger towards Putin’s suppression of the opposing voice. Navalny presents hope for a future that moves towards an ethical and incorrupt democratic government, rather than one in which citizens continue to be oppressed and silenced.
Since he does not fear speaking out against the Kremlin despite the power struggle, Navalny presents a challenge for the regime. He is pushing hard for a future without fascism, and since he is one of the few brave enough to do so, he presents a ray of hope for those who have had enough of corruption.
Featured graphic by The Charlatan.
