Who Is Alexei Navalny? Why His Supporters Have Called For Mahatma Gandhi's Way To Oppose War

Russia seems to be unstoppable despite international sanctions and protests across the world. Its forces may begin an all out attacks on Kiev any time. Meanwhile, people are gathering in many parts of the world to register their protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Even a section of Russians are clearly not happy with what President Vladimir Putin is up to. They are protesting, despite threats, against what they feel in unjust violence against a sovereign neighbouring country. A group of people supporting Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has called for civil disobedience as a way to protest.

EPA/BBC

"Putin declared war on Ukraine and is trying to make everyone think that Ukraine was attacked by Russia, that is, by all of us. But that's not right," Reuters cited what Navalny team wrote on its Twitter account.

"We must show that we do not support the war. We call on Russians to show civil disobedience. Do not be silent."

Who Is Alexei Navalny?

Navalny is an anti-corruption activist who is considered to be the most prominent opponent of Vladimir Putin in Russia. He was jailed in 2021 when he returned to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from what was said to be poisoning him with a nerve agent in Siberia. His supporters alleged that the Russian authorities want him dead because of his anti-Putin activism. Government however denied all the allegations.

Navalny has millions of Russian followers on social media, mostly millennials. In his videos and posts, Navalny calls Putin's party "crooks and thieves". He believes that Putin is running a feudal state in Russia and is on the way to once again become a Tsarist state.

Twitter

Russian authorities have branded his organisation as "extremist".

He was given a jail term in February 2021. The European Court of Human Rights, however, said that he should be freed immediately because of the risk to his life, but Russia rejected the decision.

According to a BBC report, Navalny went on hunger strike, protesting that authorities at the penal colony in Vladimir, 100km (60 miles) east of Moscow, were refusing to give him proper treatment for leg and back problems.

What is civil disobedience?

John Rawl, in his book, A Theory of Justice defines civil disobedience as a public, non-violent and conscientious breach of law undertaken with the aim of bringing about a change in laws or government policies.

People who engage in civil disobedience operate at the boundary of fidelity to law, have general respect for their regime, and are willing to accept the legal consequences of their actions, as evidence of their fidelity to the rule of law.

Civil disobedience, given its place at the boundary of fidelity to law, is said on this view to fall between legal protest, on the one hand, and conscientious refusal, uncivil disobedience, militant protest, organised forcible resistance, and revolutionary action, on the other hand.

AFP

Mahatma Gandhi, who professed non-violence in all circumstances used civil disobedience or non cooperation against the British rule in India quite effectively. Gandhi called it Satyagrah and asked his followers to continue striving with their demands in a non violent manner.

Navalny's supporters in Russia clearly know that the might of a state can't be taken on with violence and if there is any possible way to garner international support against the brutality of the state, it is non violent non cooperation.

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