The Russian activist Aleksei Navalny has spent years agitating against corruption, and against President Vladimir Putin.

Last summer he was poisoned with a rare nerve agent linked to the Russian state. Last week, after recovering in Germany, he returned to Moscow. He was arrested at the airport, but he managed to put out a call for protest, which was answered in the streets of more than a hundred Russian cities.

Today, we look at the improbable story of Aleksei Navalny.

Guest: Anton Troianovski, who has been a Moscow correspondent for The New York Times since 2019.

For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. You can read the latest edition here.

Background reading:

Pro-Navalny protests moved across time zones and more than 3,000 people were arrested in at least 109 cities, signaling widespread fatigue with the corruption-plagued political order presided over by President Vladimir Putin.
The protests presented the Russian government with its biggest wave of dissent in years.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Hoe moeten lokale bestuurders omgaan met azc-protesten? (10 juli 2025)