Protesters continue to demonstrate across Russia, demanding the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny has been detained following his return to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from a poisoning attempt. Navalny has accused the Kremlin of poisoning him, though they’ve denied any involvement.
The recent protests in Russia are some of the country’s biggest in years. Navalny recently investigated a palace that allegedly belongs to Russian president Vladimir Putin on Russia’s Black Sea (Putin has denied ownership). And now, Navalny ally Vladimir Ashurkov, says it’s time for countries in the West to start sanctioning members of Putin’s inner circle.
From Ashurkov’s opinion piece in USA Today:
sanctions don’t reach enough of the right people. It is not enough to sanction the low-level operatives who just follow orders. The West must sanction the decision-makers who have made it national policy to rig elections, steal from the budget, and poison people. It must also sanction the people who hold their money. Anything less will fail to make the regime change its behavior.
Ashurkov joins us to talk about his work with Alexei Navalny and to answer your questions.
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