Navalny’s supporters face battle for survival as Putin clamps down

With their leader in prison, Russia's opposition is on the verge of being driven underground

The future looked unspeakably grim for Alexei Navalny's supporters before this week's protests. Their charismatic leader was in prison and by his doctors' accounts near death while the Kremlin was threatening to outlaw his entire movement. Sensing a looming apocalypse, one aide dubbed the protest: The final battle between normal people and absolute evil."

What followed was surprisingly normal: a core of tens of thousands of Navalny supporters rallied near the Kremlin, waving mobile phone torches and chanting Putin is a thief!" The police stood back in Moscow (there was a violent crackdown in St Petersburg). For an evening, the crowd roved the streets of the capital at will.