"I Am Not Afraid"... 'Putin Opponent' Navalny, Who Nearly Lost His Life, Returns to Russia

Arrested Immediately Upon Arrival at Russian Airport
Protesters Gathered at Scheduled Landing Airport, Causing Changes
Nearly Lost Life Last August Due to Poisoning

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, who was attacked with poison, was arrested immediately upon returning to the country. Despite being exposed to various dangers, including revealing that an assassination attempt against him was orchestrated at the government level in Russia, Navalny stated, "I am not afraid."

According to foreign media such as The Washington Post (WP) on the 17th (local time), Navalny was arrested at the immigration checkpoint of Sheremetyevo Airport in Russia. The party that arrested Navalny was the Russian correctional authority, the Federal Penitentiary Service. They detained him on the spot citing violations of probation obligations related to a case in which Navalny had previously been convicted.

Alexei Navalny being arrested by the Federal Enforcement Service
[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

Originally, the plane Navalny was on was scheduled to arrive at Vnukovo Airport, but the Russian government closed the airport citing runway conditions and other reasons, so Navalny landed at Sheremetyevo Airport. Hundreds of Navalny supporters had gathered at Vnukovo Airport but were driven out by riot police. Foreign media reported that 37 people were arrested among them.

Before disembarking from the plane, Navalny told the accompanying press, "This is the best day in the past five months. This is my hometown," and added, "People ask me if I am afraid, but I am not afraid." According to The Washington Post (WP), Navalny was arrested immediately after arriving at the airport, even before his entry stamp was issued.

Alexei Navalny boarding the flight to Moscow
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Navalny, who had been critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, collapsed from poison on a flight from Siberia to Moscow last August. After losing consciousness, Navalny was treated by Russian medical staff but was transferred to Germany for treatment with the help of Western countries concerned about his safety. According to German medical staff, Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent developed by Russia for military use. He regained consciousness 18 days after poisoning and has since undergone rehabilitation treatment.

While the Russian government has not launched a public investigation into this incident, Western media such as CNN reported that agents of the Russian intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), were involved in the assassination attempt. Navalny also revealed the full details of the assassination attempt by releasing call recordings with agents involved in the poisoning attempt via social media. Navalny had phone conversations with FSB agents who disguised themselves as Russian government officials to participate in the assassination attempt; one agent reportedly admitted, "I tried to assassinate by applying poison inside the clothes."

Regarding this, Navalny filed a complaint against the intelligence agents involved with the Russian government, but the Russian government dismissed it.

The Federal Penitentiary Service detained him on the grounds that he violated probation regulations related to a fraud conviction for which Navalny was sentenced in 2014. At that time, he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison with a 5-year probation period, which was extended by court ruling. If the Russian court determines that Navalny violated probation regulations, he could serve a prison sentence. The European Court of Human Rights criticized the ruling at that time as politically motivated. In addition, Russian investigative authorities are investigating separate cases related to Navalny, with forecasts suggesting he could face a 10-year sentence.

Opposition supporters waiting for Alexei Navalny are being dragged out of the airport by police.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior researcher at Carnegie Moscow who studies Russian domestic politics, said, "The way the Russian government is welcoming Navalny clearly shows how much they fear him," adding, "They themselves are raising Navalny's profile." Foreign media predicted that support for Navalny, who chose to return instead of going into exile abroad like other dissidents, will increase.

However, public opinion in Russia remains cold for now. According to a poll conducted last month by the Russian polling agency Levada Center, 49% of respondents believed that Navalny's poisoning incident was fabricated or a conspiracy by Western intelligence agencies. Only 15% believed that the Russian government tried to eliminate President Putin's political opponent.