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I don't understand why he went back to Russia --- on principle, maybe? Regardless, it wasn't worth it. He could and should have stayed in the West and pumped ou

I don't understand why he went back to Russia --- on principle, maybe? Regardless, it wasn't worth it. He could and should have stayed in the West and pumped out anti-regime content: he would have achieved much more. Rest in peace.

bitcharmer 3y ago
GRU threatened his family. He did that to save them.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- mirpa 3y ago
  Hmm, in attempt to poison Skripal in London, they poisoned his daughter as well. It is quite silly to talk about this if you consider all the war crimes in Ukraine.
- zarzavat 3y ago
  Can’t be that, his wife went back with him to Russia and stayed there afterwards. Hardly the actions of someone protecting their family.
  - bitcharmer 3y ago
    > Can’t be that Umm... why? He was given a choice. Either he returns or his family gets assassinated.
    - zarzavat 3y ago
      If someone was threatening to kill your family, would you deliver your wife to them? Nothing in the world would compel you, obviously. Clearly he believed that his family’s lives were exceptionally safe, probably way more safe than they actually were. The only explanation for his return that fits with the manner of his return is that he wanted to martyr himself.
      - bitcharmer 3y ago
        I don't think you understand how this works. Navalny's family physical location made zero difference here. As evidenced by numerous murders conducted abroad by FSB and GRU. No place is safe when Putin wants you dead. Highly recommend reading this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blowing-Up-Russia-Return-KGB/dp/1903933978 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blowing-Up-Russia-Return-KGB/dp/190...
yakireev 3y ago
> I don't understand why he went back to Russia --- on principle, maybe? He was a Russian politician and was intending to stay one. In the eyes of Russian public opinion, a politician who fled abroad - opposition or not - is not a politician anymore, but some foreign guy living in comforts of some Germany or England, either on money stolen from Russians or on the payroll of CIA, not worth listening to. Interests of polit-emigrants and interests of Russians in Russia do not align, and the general public knows that. This is why Navalny returned and Yashin never left.
- bvrmn 3y ago
  > In the eyes of Russian public opinion, a politician who fled abroad - opposition or not - is not a politician anymore Public gives no shit where politician sits unless they have influence on politics.
  - culebron21 3y ago
    I confirm the previous poster: in the eyes of even oppositional public those who fled loose credibility -- at least that they can't call people to the streets under SWAT batons; and also living abroad they lose sense of what matters and events are important.
    - bvrmn 3y ago
      It could be an argument, but no politician inside Russia call people to the streets either. Navalny abroad had more influence than all other opposition personas in sum.
maratc 3y ago
He answered that question: "I have my country and I have my principles, and I'm not willing to give up either."
- barelyauser 3y ago
  Dying like that seems like a computer who can't avoid but to crash when it hits a single wrong bit on an ocean of memory. Why? Why choose rigid principles that might lead you straight to doom? Why people think this is honorable? His enemy lost nothing, and the allies left behind have to fight with less men.
  - maratc 3y ago
    I'm not advocating for what Navalny did, just explaining his point of view, according to which if you're not ready to die for your principles then you have no principles — just opinions. Again: his words, not mine.
    - barelyauser 3y ago
      What if my principle is to survive?
      - AlexAndScripts 3y ago
        That may be yours (and mine), but it wasn't his.
      - layer8 3y ago
        Then your principle would be logically unsound, according to Navalny.
  - seanw444 3y ago
    Because if he left, the propaganda would have easily portrayed him as a coward. Staying in Russia gave him the best chance he had to win over the populous.
  - deleted 3y ago
EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 3y ago
The day he returned, he released a video about a $1B palace built by Putin with stolen money. Maybe he (mistakenly) believed people will rise to his cause upon seeing the video.
culebron21 3y ago
If we think why they chose it purely rationally, I suppose he and his team foresaw him be arrested, but expected the people to rebel. Earlier murder attempt by the state, plus an arrest afterwards -- were still arguably unprecedented (Nemtsov 2015 murder being a bit different), plus his all-in investigation on Putin's palace, could theoretically end people's patience, and that protests would have been even broader than in Belarus in 2020. Plus, his team were all die-hards, no skeptics. That was all-in move, and it turned out wrong. I also went to those protests, it was -23°C, and there were more SWAT police than us. I got a harsh reminder as well of the sad truths sociologist Yuri Levada had described in his work "Simple Soviet man".

bitcharmer 3y ago

GRU threatened his family. He did that to save them.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
mirpa 3y ago
Hmm, in attempt to poison Skripal in London, they poisoned his daughter as well. It is quite silly to talk about this if you consider all the war crimes in Ukraine.
zarzavat 3y ago
Can’t be that, his wife went back with him to Russia and stayed there afterwards. Hardly the actions of someone protecting their family.
- bitcharmer 3y ago
  > Can’t be that Umm... why? He was given a choice. Either he returns or his family gets assassinated.
  - zarzavat 3y ago
    If someone was threatening to kill your family, would you deliver your wife to them? Nothing in the world would compel you, obviously. Clearly he believed that his family’s lives were exceptionally safe, probably way more safe than they actually were. The only explanation for his return that fits with the manner of his return is that he wanted to martyr himself.
    - bitcharmer 3y ago
      I don't think you understand how this works. Navalny's family physical location made zero difference here. As evidenced by numerous murders conducted abroad by FSB and GRU. No place is safe when Putin wants you dead. Highly recommend reading this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blowing-Up-Russia-Return-KGB/dp/1903933978 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blowing-Up-Russia-Return-KGB/dp/190...

yakireev 3y ago

> I don't understand why he went back to Russia --- on principle, maybe? He was a Russian politician and was intending to stay one. In the eyes of Russian public opinion, a politician who fled abroad - opposition or not - is not a politician anymore, but some foreign guy living in comforts of some Germany or England, either on money stolen from Russians or on the payroll of CIA, not worth listening to. Interests of polit-emigrants and interests of Russians in Russia do not align, and the general public knows that. This is why Navalny returned and Yashin never left.

bvrmn 3y ago
> In the eyes of Russian public opinion, a politician who fled abroad - opposition or not - is not a politician anymore Public gives no shit where politician sits unless they have influence on politics.
- culebron21 3y ago
  I confirm the previous poster: in the eyes of even oppositional public those who fled loose credibility -- at least that they can't call people to the streets under SWAT batons; and also living abroad they lose sense of what matters and events are important.
  - bvrmn 3y ago
    It could be an argument, but no politician inside Russia call people to the streets either. Navalny abroad had more influence than all other opposition personas in sum.

maratc 3y ago

He answered that question: "I have my country and I have my principles, and I'm not willing to give up either."

barelyauser 3y ago
Dying like that seems like a computer who can't avoid but to crash when it hits a single wrong bit on an ocean of memory. Why? Why choose rigid principles that might lead you straight to doom? Why people think this is honorable? His enemy lost nothing, and the allies left behind have to fight with less men.
- maratc 3y ago
  I'm not advocating for what Navalny did, just explaining his point of view, according to which if you're not ready to die for your principles then you have no principles — just opinions. Again: his words, not mine.
  - barelyauser 3y ago
    What if my principle is to survive?
    - AlexAndScripts 3y ago
      That may be yours (and mine), but it wasn't his.
    - layer8 3y ago
      Then your principle would be logically unsound, according to Navalny.
- seanw444 3y ago
  Because if he left, the propaganda would have easily portrayed him as a coward. Staying in Russia gave him the best chance he had to win over the populous.
- deleted 3y ago

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 3y ago

The day he returned, he released a video about a $1B palace built by Putin with stolen money. Maybe he (mistakenly) believed people will rise to his cause upon seeing the video.

culebron21 3y ago

If we think why they chose it purely rationally, I suppose he and his team foresaw him be arrested, but expected the people to rebel. Earlier murder attempt by the state, plus an arrest afterwards -- were still arguably unprecedented (Nemtsov 2015 murder being a bit different), plus his all-in investigation on Putin's palace, could theoretically end people's patience, and that protests would have been even broader than in Belarus in 2020. Plus, his team were all die-hards, no skeptics. That was all-in move, and it turned out wrong. I also went to those protests, it was -23°C, and there were more SWAT police than us. I got a harsh reminder as well of the sad truths sociologist Yuri Levada had described in his work "Simple Soviet man".