Navalny's murder might motivate resistance, radicalise protests in Russia — sociologist Eidman

He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

"The death of Navalny will not affect the transformation of the Russian regime, because it will become even more brutal, there will be even more repression, political and police terror. This event, unfortunately, will not affect the political situation in Russia, the Russian authorities continue to put pressure on society and Navalny is not the first victim of the Putin regime. As for the situation, what this can change, I think there are two trends here: demoralisation, so that society thinks that nothing can be done in this situation, and that's why Navalny was so cynically imprisoned and now cynically killed," Eidman said.

The journalist is convinced that the Russian opposition дуфвук was murdered.

"This may also have an impact on the radicalisation of the protests, they will probably not be as peaceful as Gandhi's, because the authorities simply ignored these events. We see that people are joining the Russian army less. I think that Navalny's murder is motivating many people to resist and to oppose this regime by force, because there is still an opportunity, but it may end, many may go abroad, to Western Europe. I think many people will choose this path, but many people will also become more radical in their opposition to this regime," the Russian sociologist concluded.

Navalny's death in Russian prison: what is known

On Friday, February 16, the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation announced the death of the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

On the same day, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of European cities to express their outrage over Navalny's death, blaming it on Putin. In Russia, they were not allowed to lay flowers in memory of the oppositionist.

Navalny's relatives were refused to show or give his body to him. Before that, the Russian exile newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Europe reported that Alexei Navalny's body was allegedly covered with bruises. This could be either due to beatings or convulsions caused by the poison effect.

Citing its own sources in Russia's Investigative Committee and Navalny's entourage, the Russian opposition outlet Sota reported that he died of gradual poisoning by small doses.

The head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, said that the death of the Russian opposition leader should prompt German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, while Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for Russia to be declared a state sponsor of terrorism.

As of February 19, more than 400 activists were detained in 32 Russian cities after the death of Putin's opponent during flower-laying events.

The Lithuanian and German foreign ministers said that after Navalny's death, the EU should at least strengthen sanctions against Russia. EU Diplomacy Chief Josep Borrell said that EU members would propose a new package against the Kremlin.

On Monday and Tuesday, February 19-20, the foreign ministries of numerous European countries summoned Russian ambassadors to the carpet over Navalny's death.

On February 20, it became known that Putin had promoted Deputy Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service Boyarynev to colonel general after Navalny died in the colony.