MOSCOW – Protests that swept Russia this weekend in support of incumbent opposition leader Alexei Navalny show the challenge President Vladimir Putin faces in managing social discontent ahead of this year’s parliamentary elections.
Saturday’s unsanctioned rallies were among the largest in recent years and saw tens of thousands of people at brave freezing temperatures, the threat of a pandemic and the possibility of imprisonment. Security forces detained more than 3,500 people – the highest number in at least nine years, according to independent monitors.
The protests left the Kremlin facing a dilemma: either bow to street pressure and undermine its own authority by releasing Mr Navalny, or risk inciting more backlash and unifying the opposition, keeping him behind bars. .
“There are few good options for Putin,” said Abbas Gallyamov, a Moscow political consultant and former speechwriter for Putin. “It looks like Navalny is attacking and the Kremlin is defending itself.”
Mr Putin’s approval rating has been disappointed in recent years amid a slow economy and protest. Observers say the Navalny demonstrations, if sustained, could pose a threat to Mr Putin’s rule, despite last year’s constitutional changes that could allow him to remain in power until 2036.