MOSCOW – The protests that engulfed Russia this weekend in support of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny demonstrate the challenge faced by President Vladimir Putin in dealing with the social discontent ahead of this year’s parliamentary elections.
Saturday’s unapproved rallies were among the largest in recent years, with tens of thousands of people braving freezing temperatures, the threat of the pandemic and the possibility of incarceration. Security forces detained more than 3,500 people, the largest number in nine years, according to independent observers.
The protests face the Kremlin in a dilemma: either bowing to the pressures of the street and undermining its own authority by releasing Mr. keep bars.
“There are few good options for Putin,” said Abbas Gallyamov, a Moscow-based political adviser and former speech writer for Putin. “It looks like Navalny is attacking and defending the Kremlin.”
Mr. Putin’s approval figures have succumbed in recent years amid a sluggish economy and protest activity. Observers say that the Navalny demonstrations, if continued, could pose a threat to Mr Putin’s dominance, despite constitutional changes passed last year that could allow him to remain in power until 2036.