Ukraine war: Where are Russia's opposition leaders now?

President Vladimir Putin present rules Russia virtually unchallenged. Many of the captious voices that erstwhile spoke retired person since been forced into exile, portion different opponents person been jailed - oregon successful immoderate cases killed.

By the clip helium launched his full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022, much than 2 decades of stamping retired dissent had each but annihilated absorption successful Russia.

At the precise commencement of President Putin's rule, helium brought to bottommost Russia's almighty oligarchs - immensely affluent radical with governmental ambitions.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, erstwhile caput of the Russian lipid elephantine Yukos, was arrested successful 2003 and spent 10 years successful situation for taxation evasion and theft aft backing absorption parties. Upon his release, helium near Russia.

Boris Berezovsky, different oligarch who adjacent helped bring Putin to powerfulness - fell retired with him aboriginal and died successful exile successful the UK successful 2013, reportedly by suicide.

All cardinal media successful Russia gradually fell nether the power of the authorities oregon toed the authoritative Kremlin line.

By acold the astir salient absorption fig successful Russia is present Alexei Navalny, who has accused Putin from jailhouse of aiming to smear hundreds of thousands of radical successful his "criminal, aggressive" war.

In August 2020, Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nervus agent, portion connected a travel to Siberia. The onslaught astir killed him, and helium had to beryllium flown to Germany for treatment.

His instrumentality to Russia successful January 2021 concisely galvanised absorption protesters, but helium was instantly arrested for fraud and contempt of court. He is present serving 9 years successful prison, and was the absorption of an Oscar-winning documentary.

In the 2010s Navalny was actively progressive successful wide anti-government rallies and the galore exposes by Navalny's main governmental vehicle, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), person attracted millions of views online. In 2021 the instauration was outlawed arsenic extremist and Navalny has repeatedly dismissed allegations of corruption arsenic politically motivated.

Many of his associates person travel nether unit from information services, and immoderate person fled abroad, including erstwhile FBK caput Ivan Zhdanov, erstwhile apical FBK lawyer Lyubov Sobol and most, if not all, of the heads of the extended web of Navalny's offices crossed Russia.

Navalny's right-hand antheral Leonid Volkov near Russia erstwhile a wealth laundering lawsuit was launched against him successful 2019.

Another cardinal Putin professional down Russian bars is Ilya Yashin, who has been sharply captious of Russia's war. In a unrecorded watercourse connected YouTube successful April 2022, helium urged an probe into imaginable warfare crimes committed by Russian forces and called President Putin "the worst butcher successful this war".

That unrecorded watercourse led to eight-and-a-half years successful jailhouse for violating a instrumentality against spreading "deliberately mendacious information" astir the Russian army. The instrumentality was rushed done parliament soon aft Russia invaded Ukraine connected 24 February 2022.

Yashin became progressive successful authorities successful 2000 astatine the property of 17, the twelvemonth Putin came to power.

In 2017, aft years of absorption activism, helium was elected caput of the Krasnoselsky territory assembly successful Moscow, wherever helium continued to dependable views captious of the Kremlin.

In 2019, helium spent much than a period down bars for his progressive relation successful protests against the authorities' refusal to registry autarkic and opposition-minded candidates for elections to the Moscow metropolis council.

Cambridge-educated writer and activistic Vladimir Kara-Murza has doubly been the unfortunate of a mysterious poisoning that near him successful a coma, successful 2015 and past successful 2017. He was arrested successful April 2022 pursuing his disapproval of the Russian penetration of Ukraine, and charged with sharing "fake news" astir the Russian military, organising the activities of an "undesirable organisation" and precocious treason. His lawyer says helium is facing up to 25 years successful situation if convicted.

He has authored galore articles captious of Putin successful salient Russian and Western media and successful 2011 led absorption efforts to unafraid the adoption of Western sanctions targeting quality rights abusers successful Russia.

These sanctions imposed by galore Western countries are known arsenic Magnitsky acts aft whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died successful a Russian jailhouse successful 2009 aft alleging fraud by officials.

Kara-Murza was lawman president of Open Russia, a starring pro-democracy radical acceptable up by fugitive ex-oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. It was officially designated arsenic "undesirable" successful Russia and yet closed successful 2021. Open Russia's head, Andrei Pivovarov, is serving a four-year jailhouse condemnation imposed for his engagement successful an "undesirable organisation".

Kara-Murza whitethorn beryllium facing a agelong situation condemnation but astatine slightest helium is alive, dissimilar adjacent person and cardinal Russian absorption person Boris Nemtsov.

Before the Putin era, Nemtsov served arsenic politician of Nizhny Novgorod region, vigor curate and past lawman premier minister, and helium was besides elected to Russia's parliament. Then helium became progressively vocal successful his absorption to the Kremlin, and published a fig of reports captious of Vladimir Putin and led galore marches opposing him.

On 27 February 2015, Nemtsov was changeable 4 times arsenic helium crossed a span extracurricular the Kremlin, hours aft appealing for enactment for a march against Russia's archetypal penetration of Ukraine successful 2014.

Five men of Chechen root were convicted of Nemtsov's murder, but determination is inactive nary clarity arsenic to who ordered it oregon why. Seven years aft his death, an investigation revealed grounds that successful the months moving up to the killing, Nemtsov was being followed crossed Russia by a authorities cause linked to a concealed assassination squad.

These starring absorption figures are conscionable a fewer of the Russians targeted for showing dissent.

Since the commencement of Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine past year, autarkic media successful Russia person had to determination abroad, specified arsenic quality sites Meduza and Novaya Gazeta, and the transmission TV Rain. Others similar speech vigor presumption Ekho Moskvy person simply unopen down.

Countless commentators person gone into exile, similar seasoned writer Alexander Nevzorov, branded a "foreign agent" successful Russia and sentenced to 8 years successful jailhouse successful absentia for spreading "fakes" against the Russian army.

But you bash not person to person an assemblage of millions to beryllium targeted. In March 2023, Dmitry Ivanov, a mathematics pupil who ran an anti-war Telegram channel, received an eight-and-a-half twelvemonth situation condemnation - besides for spreading "fakes" astir the army.

Meanwhile, azygous genitor Alexei Moskalev was fixed a 2 twelvemonth jailhouse word for dissent connected societal media pursuing an probe sparked by an anti-war representation sketched by his 13-year-old girl astatine school.

It took Vladimir Putin much than 2 decades to guarantee nary formidable opponents were escaped to situation his power. If that was his plan, it's worked.