What will Russia be like after Navalny?
What will the post-Navalny effect be for Putin? Guiglia's notebook
Perhaps not even he, the heroic Alexei Navalny, would have imagined that, as a Russian patriot, he would soon become a universal example of the fight for freedom. But the armored funeral in Moscow in the presence of thousands of his compatriots regardless of the risk, and of representatives of all Western diplomacies, including ours, lined up in silence to pay homage to an honest and courageous man, confirms that Putin can repress everything, except hope of a Russia no longer in his image and likeness.
NAVALNY'S FUNERAL AND RUSSIA RESISTING PUTIN
And it doesn't matter if the regime doesn't forgive, as demonstrated by the arrests in 56 cities following the ceremony, the Tsar's recurrent and threatening declarations on the use of nuclear weapons, the verbal and military arrogance that has guided his invasion of Ukraine for two years: the Navalny event testifies that another Russia is possible, because it already exists and resists, despite the poisonings, tortures and murders that those who dissent inexorably face. “Free Russia, Putin a murderer!”, many in the crowd shouted.
Of course, it won't be this explosive funeral or the poignant notes of "My Way" that accompanied it, it won't be flowers or tears that will change the fate of the presidential elections in two weeks, given the impossibility of challenging the re-nominated Putin on the free and democratic plan (especially if, by chance, one is also against war which is not only repugnant, as Pope Francis has called it, but also unjust and illegitimate).
Nor will the relentless passage of time – as the slothful think – be able to tire or mitigate the aggressiveness of a despot who knows how to use the language of violence and lies as a weapon of political interlocution.
WILL NATO HAVE TO FIGHT AGAINST RUSSIA?
The Pentagon is now warning him, saying what many in Europe think, and some governments fear: if Ukraine loses the war, "NATO will have to fight against Russia".
The forecast is strong, but not far-fetched. Or perhaps someone thinks that, having conquered Ukraine, Putin will have satisfied his imperial desires? Too quickly we forgot that he considers the dissolution of the USSR "the worst geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century". With someone who cultivates such a vision, it is very complicated to even envisage a negotiation between equal nations. Imagine then when equality does not exist from the beginning, given that on one side there is an aggressor country and on the other one that is being attacked.
European and American leaders know this well, as they are now dealing with the post-Navalny era and the increasingly intense war.
For the first time, French President Macron raised the question of the possible sending of NATO soldiers to Ukraine, finding a cold reception among his European allies. “Even if unofficially, those soldiers are already there,” commented Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.
Another war also continues: that of words.
(Published in L'Arena di Verona, Il Giornale di Vicenza, Bresciaoggi and Gazzetta di Mantova)
www.federicoguiglia.com
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/russia-dopo-navalny/ on Thu, 07 Mar 2024 06:25:56 +0000.