Kremlin bets on Navalnaya. What this reveals
Russian senators, during a public session, essentially legitimized Yulia Navalnaya in Russia's information space.
This is a significant event.
I will not believe for a second that this could have been unsanctioned or unplanned.
For me, this means that Putin is consciously creating and positioning a convenient sparring partner.
I don't think that Navalny could have been an FSB agent, nor do I think his wife is one. I am not a proponent of dehumanizing this family.
However, I see this as evidence that Yulia Navalnaya is an entirely convenient opponent for the Kremlin, much like Joe Biden is a convenient American president for Putin.
Putin does not bet on specific people. He bets on processes that align with his strategy. The weakness of the Biden administration and his chief intelligence officer, Burns, is a favorable factor for Putin.
The lack of prospects for Navalnaya (just like for Tikhanovskaya, who was nurtured by the White House administration) fully suits both Moscow and Minsk.
Putin benefits from Navalnaya's rhetoric, which directly counters the rhetoric of decolonization, shifting the focus of the entire media world to her personal and family story.
In essence, millions of faceless Ukrainians, each of whom has lost relatives, friends, or acquaintances, are competing for the attention of Western liberal audiences with one woman whose husband was brutally murdered.
I'm not saying this is a malicious plan by the FSB.
I'm saying that what's happening benefits both the White House and the Kremlin.
But it is critically detrimental to the Ukrainian people.
Truly it has been said: "Putin is the enemy of Ukraine's present, while Russian liberals are the enemies of Ukraine's future!"