He has also overseen a number of projects that help to empower ordinary Russians vis-a-vis the political system. Popular narratives about Russia are infused with the idea that Putin sits atop a highly centralised system that he controls manually. While Putin is certainly Russia’s most important decision-maker, the political system is not his personal well-oiled machine. We often see evidence of this during elections when some regions in Russia report official results that strain credulity as local poll workers strive to please superiors with a good showing for pro-regime candidates. And yet, despite what the Kremlin would presumably want, Navalny is gravely ill.• Yana Gorokhovskaia is a political scientist researching civil society in Russia

Source: The Guardian August 25, 2020 13:35 UTC