We are disappointed and surprised by the ludicrously one-sided nature of the Western mainstream news coverage of Alexei Navalny. He has many virtues, and he’s vastly preferable to Vladimir Putin, but he’s far from perfect and certainly very far from being the best Russia can hope for. Dishonest reporting about him does nobody any favors, least of all Navalny, who is prevented from being forced to confront his own weaknesses and reform.
For a more complete picture of Navalny, two recent pieces from Global Voices are required reading. They highlight Navalny’s immaturity, his racism and the surprising lack of difference between Navalny and incumbent Moscow Mayor Sobyanin. They also comment on the Chirikova blog post, cited below.
Here are three poorly-reported items from the Russian blogosphere (Russian-language links) as examples:
(1) О принятии заявления по поводу ситуации в г. Пугачеве
Navalny votes in favor of “legitimate protest against indigenous people” and complains about attempts to label this as “extremism.” In other words, using euphemisms, Navalny votes in favor of racism.
(2) Про “чудесное освобождение” Навального
Opposition figure Vladimir Milov chastises Navalny for suggesting that street protests caused his recent release from prison. No thinking person can believe this was the case; the Kremlin clearly wanted Navalny to be free to run for mayor so it could defeat him.
(3) Ошибка кандидата
Opposition figure Yevgenia Chirikova, Russia’s leading environmentalist, chastises the Navalny campaign for having no environmental plank in its platform. (There is also no plank for women’s rights or minority race rights — but she doesn’t mention that). She complains that when she raised this issue she was mercilessly attacked by Navalny’s minions as a traitor to his movement.
Dying Russia 
There is nothing particularly racist about Navalny’s statements on Pugachev. All it amounts to is, in effect, a call to enforce the registration law.
Oh really? So where’s the call to end race violence by Slavs against racial minorities? The subtext is very, very clear.
BTW, you’re not exactly Mr. Racial Enlightenment 2013, are you? No big fan of Putin’s is, are they?
Karlin, looking like a pedophile with his goatee and hat, finds a sugar daddy for his idiotic commentary at a forum sponsored by a member of a nut-job creationist think-tank – http://darussophile.com/2013/07/06/the-world-russia-forum-2013/
Let’s admit it, “Intelligent Design” probably makes more sense than the crap Karlin peddles.
What a fool you are LoseRophobe. Kavkazis commit crimes against ethnic Slavs daily. Most Kavkazis are even bigger criminals than the Russians are. Or the Boston Marathon wasn’t enough of an evidence for you? Most Russians, actually the VAST MAJORITY of Russians do not want anything to do with Kavkaz. They would LOVE to wake up tomorrow to an announcement that Kavkaz is being granted own sovereignty and separated for life, and a giant wall, just like one Israel is building around Palestine is being built around Kavkaz so that those animals do not cross into Russia ever again. Putin licks Kavkaz butt (as evident via investments in Sports – see Terek Grozny and Anzhi Machachkala, the two clubs from Dagestan and Chechnya and what they are doing on the global stage. How can a club from a WAR TORN REGION be able to afford to buy world soccer stars such as Samuel Eto’o, Willian, hire one of the best coaches in soccer’s history and compete with the historical clubs such as Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Real Madrid etc for the signing of players. Where does that money come from? Answer is Putin. He’s trying to win over Kavkaz and invests into their infrastructure, schools, sport academies etc. But none of it is helping. Kavkazis continue to commit crimes and attacks on Russian soil, against ethnic Slavs and you expect the Slavs not to respond? I’d like to see what you would do to the Native Americans had they done the same. Oh, I forgot, we already killed most of them 500 years ago. Russia’s solution to the Kavkaz problem is one: GRANT THEM SOVEREIGNTY and let rot in their own economic hell and total collapse.
Clearly the Russian “opposition” is just as rotten as Putin, and would wield the same forces Putin has to stay in power. That being said, little Kim, what is your suggestion to improve Russia outside the U.S nuking Russia into oblivion?
Silly question — the solution clearly is to have Putin “see the lights” (mind the plural tense). In plain language: This forum with its die-hard Western supremacists and their irrepressible psychobabble shall one day enlighten the Heathen. It’s somewhat, ahem, “embarassing” having to explain this, is it not?
LR keeps entertaining.
Unlike you, or said Chirikova, Navalny has some connection with reality.
Gay rights, environmentalism, rights of gangs from Caucasus are lightyears away from the real problems and concerns of modern Russia.