What Alexei Navalny's arrest means for Vladimir Putin

On his return to Russia from Germany, where he'd been recuperating after being poisoned by a nerve agent, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested for criminal charges resurrected by the Kremlin from a years-old conviction. In the days since, peaceful protesters have taken to the streets demanding Navalny's freedom. They've been met with brutality. Does this mean trouble for Vladmir Putin and the Kremlin? In this episode, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined, from Moscow, by Felix Light, a reporter for The Moscow Times and regular contributor to the New Statesman. They discuss the trial of Alexei Navalny, protest movements against Putin's rule, and what international sanctions are available if Russia continues to flout international norms.

Further reading:

Ido argues that by returning to Russia and facing arrest, Alexei Navalny has forced the Kremlin on to the back foot.

For background, read Felix Light's piece explaining why, for Navalny, a comfortable life abroad was not an option.

Emily has been following the vote in Congress to strip extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments. She's written this piece exploring why republicans have chosen to support the congresswoman who has promoted racist, Islamophobic and anti-semitic views.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @idvck and @emilyctamkin.

Subscribing to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You can now subscribe for 12 weeks for just £12. Visit newstatesman.com/subscribe12

More audio from the New Statesman: listen to our twice-weekly UK politics podcast The New Statesman podcast

If you are a New Statesman digital subscriber you can get ad-free access to this podcast by visiting newstatesman.com/nssubscribers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.