Putin knows that Navalny is capable of had considered overthrowing his regime

Alexei Navalny's story reminds me of many a fictional plot, but it is real. On January 17 he took a flight from Berlin to Moscow after an attempted poisoning with Novichok nerve agent. He clearly understood that he would be arrested upon arrival and the Kremlin would most likely keep him locked away for years.

Many people are perplexed by his reasoning, but his personal courage is beyond imagination. It actually demands heroism to challenge Vladimir Putin.

He is Russia's political prisoner No. 1, now.

Zhanna Nemtsova (36) campaigns with her foundation for freedom of expression and democratic change in her home country photo: NIELS star nick / PICTURE ON SUNDAY

The “trial“ of Navalny is completely unlawful and the biggest change that we see right now is that the Kremlin doesn’t even pretend that they are following any laws or procedures.