‘Corruption Kills,’ Says Navalny Pointing to Russia’s Bombing Campaigns On Ukrainian Cities
March 25, 2022–Alexey Navalny is the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Now based in New York, the ACF conducts investigations into corruption and produces documentaries about oligarchs’ wealth. He’s been poisoned and jailed by the Russian government. Navalny is serving a sentence on charges the rest of the world recognizes as politically motivated by the Kremlin. Ironically, the Russian government’s actions only shed more light on the state’s corruption and repression of civil liberties.
Russian Chemical Weapons
In 2020, Navalny survived a nerve agent attack linked to the Russian Federal Security Service.
As a result, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced sanctions against seven Russian nationals saying, “We are sending a clear message that any use of chemical weapons by the Russian state violates international law, and a transparent criminal investigation must be held.” It marked the second time the United Kingdom sanctioned Russian officials for the use of chemical weapons.
Arrested And Jailed
In February 2021, a Russian court sentenced Navalny to two and a half years in prison. This week, another Russian court sentenced the jailed opposition leader to serve another nine years.
The European Council called the sentence a “politically motivated” imprisonment.
“This is the starkest indication that the Russian legal system continues to be instrumentalized against Mr. Navalny. The European Union deplores the systematic crackdown on civil society, independent media, individual journalists, and human rights defenders in Russia,” the European Council said on March 22.
Imprisoned But Not Silent
Meanwhile, Navalny continued to speak out against corruption and against Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“Russians, Ukrainians, the whole world – must do everything to defeat Putin – a monster that spreads death and chaos, killing tens of thousands and destroying cities in Europe for the sake of personal power and personal enrichment,” Navalny wrote on Twitter on March 23.
This profile by 60 Minutes Leslie Stahl provides a good understanding of who Navalny is, the corruption he is fighting against, and how he does that.
“I work as a whistleblower, and I’m not afraid to announce the names,” he told Stahl in 2017.
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