Salute to a Mother’s Courage
Ludmilla Navalnaya's heroism in standing up to Putin is inspiring
What tremendous bravery Ludmilla Navalnaya, the mother of the murdered Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has shown. The world saw her on video last week, a wee woman in a big coat, who must be around 70, standing outside an Arctic penal colony in the snow, sadly, calmly demanding that Putin hand over the body of her son. Later, she made a video broadcast accusing the officials there of blackmailing her. Despite threats to another son, she refused to negotiate with Putin and finally, Alexey’s body was handed over.
The Ukrainians are also showing incredible courage in holding the line against this despotic regime - but where is the US’s long-promised support?
For months, the USA has been promising the next tranche of military aid including bullets and shells for the hardware they previously supplied. But the US government can’t hand over the package as promised because it is being blocked by Republicans in Congress - apparently because they don’t want Biden to succeed at anything in an election year.
For months, US leaders have been saying - don’t worry, we will sort out our little political roadblock and get the stuff to you. You can rely on us. But at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, Vice President Kamala Harris moved from saying that Ukraine can rely on the support of America to saying “President Joe Biden and I stand with Ukraine”. What does that mean? We can’t give Ukraine the ammo they need, that we promised - but it is not our fault?
What does the US betrayal of Ukraine mean for the future?
This delay is now costing lives and territory and could prove catastrophic for Ukraine. It would take many months for Europe to supply the deficiency.
What does it mean for the US? FT columnist Simon Kuper argued recently that Republican scepticism of claims that Putin will come for them next is justified - America is a long way away from the theatre of war - and Putin is not likely to attack them for failing to supply more arms to Ukraine.
But what is at risk surely is America’s soft power. It is not exactly an advert for democracy that the President of the US has to bow to a foreign despot, break America’s word and abandon allies in their hour of need - not because of fear of attack, but because fellow Americans have decided to put party political advantage first.
Democracies are not supposed to act like crazies who pretend to be your friend one minute and then knife you for the change in your pocket. The main political parties are supposed to share basic values and respect the rules - like honouring promises to allies and the peaceful transfer of power.
Perhaps Alexey Navalny and his family’s inspiring heroism has shifted something. Perhaps it will bring more public attention to this and the US Republican Party will think again. If not, America will be diminished - and so will the idea of democracy. This shambles is a gift to strongmen populist leaders everywhere
But the wholesale undermining of democracy has been happening here too.
Westminster is in the process of passing the Safety of Rwanda Bill which instructs British courts to regard something as true which is demonstrably false. Britain is supposed to have a constitution though an unwritten one. The parliamentarians trooping through the lobbies to support this Bill can hardly call themselves conservative. They are subversives. And the moral cowardice of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer was on display as they abstained - showing their usual servile obeisance to the UK’s right-wing media. Which, as Jimmy Reid pointed out, are not so much newspapers as weapons in the culture war. Labour also prevented a vote on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza apparently because of fear of th
It takes nerve to stand up for what you believe in
Propaganda is a powerful tool of course. We see that in Russia. Before Putin invaded Ukraine, most people there said they did not want a war. But they are constantly bombarded with news media claiming that it is Russia that is under attack. Many Russians have lost loved ones now - spilt blood can leave a legacy of hate. And war is an excuse to crack down even more in the name of the war effort.
It takes nerve to stand up to such a regime, where dissidents, protestors, even people laying flowers at memorials are thrown in jail, conscripted or assassinated.
“Courage calls to courage everywhere” said the feminist Millicent Fawcett and the Navalny family has raised the standard. Putin handed over the body to Ludmilla - rather than having her killed like so many others who have challenged him, perhaps because he realises that, one fine day, he may go too far.
Russians could realise that their enemy is not the people of Ukraine but the kleptocrats and assassins who control their country. If that happens, Russia will crush Putin and his tawdry gang of thieves and trolls like a sack of rotten potatoes.
Until that day - whenever I think of the face of Russia, it will not be Vladimir Putin that comes to mind, but a wee woman in a big coat, knocking on the Kremlin’s door.
Navalny was a CIA asset.
I like to think that even the strongest man – or at least a man who thinks he's strong, who believes he must be strong in order to survive – will never cross a mother.