The active and the lethargic
Russian society after the Navalny protests
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Despite prohibitions and attempts at intimidation, at the end of January, hundreds of thousands of mainly young people took to the streets in Russia to protest against the arrest and sentencing of Alexei Navalny. As yet, events have not led to the emergence of any stable political structures. However, the protests took place against a backdrop of growing dissatisfaction. The regime has responded with force, yet society refuses to go back into hibernation. What once seemed unimaginable is now becoming a real possibility: that Putin is no longer the source of all legitimacy, but is becoming a burden of which the establishment wishes to relieve itself.
(Osteuropa 12/2020, pp. 9–18)