Alexei Navalny is one of the main Russian opposition leaders and a lawyer.  He was the man, who you will all recall was poisoned last year and almost died, allegedly by Russian agents.  Despite that, he decided to return to Russia where he was promptly arrested and imprisoned.  He has now gone on a hunger strike and is apparently within days of his death.

It is astounding that Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, feels so insecure in his leadership that he will allow an opposition leader, who does not have huge support, to die.  As it is, most individuals are disqualified for running for leadership positions if they oppose Putin - and very small percentages of the Russian population actually take part in protests against the lack of democracy in Russia.  With Putin controlling the media, and most independent media crushed, the vast majority of Russians actually support him, however sad that may be.  It seems that Putin suffers from no embarrassment – whether interfering in the American elections to support Donald Trump or jailing and imprisoning, on trumped up charges, anybody who dares oppose him.  He seems intent at every single point of playing the role of a strong man while he and his oligarch friends plunder the natural wealth of Russia, leaving the vast majority of Russians in a somewhat lower middle-class type of lifestyle.  One would hope that he will step back and not allow Alexei Navalny to die.