Aside from YouTube, Mr. Navalny has been spreading his word locally by opening presidential campaign offices in scores of small cities, where he gets big points just for showing up. Some political observers consider that unlikely, however, since an official presidential campaign would give him a national platform to attack Mr. Putin directly. In his basic stump speech, Mr. Navalny hammers away at how little ordinary Russians benefit from the vast oil and gas revenues that flow to the Kremlin and its cronies. “People think that it is impossible to have a normal, happy life in Russia,” he said. The candidate bristles, saying that idea reminds him of Zimbabwe, which has had the same leader for more than 35 years.

Source: New York Times June 09, 2017 23:48 UTC