MOSCOW – Protests that ravaged Russia this weekend in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny show the challenge President Vladimir Putin has faced in managing social discontent ahead of parliamentary elections. ‘this year.
Saturday’s unapproved rallies were among the largest in recent years and saw tens of thousands of people face freezing temperatures, the threat of a pandemic and the possibility of imprisonment. Security forces detained more than 3,500 people, the largest number in at least nine years, according to independent monitors.
The protests have left the Kremlin facing a dilemma: either to bow to street pressure and undermine its own authority by releasing Mr Navalny or to risk provoking further reactions and uniting the opposition by keeping him behind bars.
“There are few good options for Putin,” said Abbas Gallyamov, a Moscow-based political consultant and former editor of Mr Putin. “It looks like Navalny is attacking and the Kremlin is defending.”
Putin’s approval ratings have faded in recent years amid a slow economy and protest activity. Observers say Navalny’s protests, if they continue, could pose a threat to Putin’s rule despite constitutional changes passed last year that could allow him to stay in power until 2036.