The jailing of Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent political opposition leader, has sparked outrage both in his native country and around the world. Navalny was detained on January 17th after he arrived in Moscow from Germany, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal poisoning with a chemical weapon. Despite international condemnation, the Russian government has refused to release him and instead sentenced him to two-and-a-half years in one of the country’s toughest penal colonies.
Navalny has become a symbol of resistance for many Russians who are fed up with corruption and cronyism within their government. His anti-corruption movement continues to grow, even after thousands were arrested during demonstrations in support of the jailed opposition leader. Among those detained is Anastasia Pantchenko, leader of the movement’s branch in Krasnodar – a city on the Black Sea that is home to Vladimir Putin’s alleged multi-million dollar palace.
Navalny’s movement shows no sign of slowing down despite his imprisonment; it is rapidly gaining steam across Russia as more people join forces against Putin’s authoritarian rule. To learn more about this powerful story of justice and freedom, watch “The Battle for Russia: The Story of Alexei Navalny” – a documentary created by our reporters who accompanied Pantchenko during her mission to fight against government corruption.
