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Putin, Kremlin Critic Navalny Set Battle Plans for Next Phase in Struggle for
Mastery

Jamie Dettmer

   "Who cares about him?" Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a
   December news conference when asked about Alexey Navalny, the Kremlin
   critic who survived a near-fatal poisoning and was arrested last month
   in Moscow on his return following life-saving treatment in Germany.
   The answer came on two consecutive weekends of protests, the largest
   displays of mass discontent with Putin since 2011. And in a sense Putin
   answered his own question with the heavy-handed policing of the
   pro-Navalny demonstrations as well as by imprisoning his most prominent
   critic.
   But does Navalny represent a serious threat to Putin's rule?
   Former British envoy to Moscow Andrew Wood says he believes fear of
   losing control has been guiding Putin's tactics in almost all his major
   decisions, including jailing Navalny, since becoming Russia's leader
   two decades ago. And the retired diplomat sees that as the main driver
   behind Putin's re-writing of Russia's constitution last year, paving
   the way for the former KGB officer to remain in power for years to
   come.

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