Alexey Navalny and Putin's history of suspected poisonings and crackdowns | 60 Minutes Full Episodes

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Alexey Navalny's 2020 60 Minutes interview (00:00:11)

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok while on a flight from Siberia to Moscow in 2020.
Labs in France and Sweden confirmed the presence of Novichok in Navalny's blood and on a water bottle from his hotel room.
Navalny's wife, Yulia, launched a public campaign to encourage Western diplomatic pressure on Russia to release him.
Germany and France have imposed sanctions on Russia over the poisoning, but the United States, under President Donald Trump, did not.
Navalny believes that President Vladimir Putin is responsible for his poisoning and sees it as an attempt to silence him and suppress dissent.
Despite the risks, Navalny remains determined to return to Russia and continue his work against corruption and for democratic reforms.

Alexey Navalny's 2017 60 Minutes Interview (00:13:56)

Alexey Navalny is a 41-year-old lawyer and opposition leader in Russia who has been challenging President Vladimir Putin in the upcoming presidential election.
Navalny has been critical of Putin's government, accusing him of corruption and stealing the country's future.
Despite facing numerous arrests and legal challenges, Navalny has continued to gain popularity and support from Russian citizens, particularly through social media and YouTube, where he has millions of followers.
Navalny has exposed corruption within the Kremlin's inner circle by publishing financial documents and airing documentaries on YouTube, including one about Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev's lavish estates.
Navalny's anti-corruption efforts have led to large-scale protests in Russia, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets in support of him.
Putin has responded to Navalny's challenge by cracking down on dissent, arresting protesters and opposition figures, and tightening control over the media.
Navalny has survived several attempts on his life, including being poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent, in 2020.
Navalny's political platform includes increased spending on education and healthcare, restoring freedom of the press, and taxing the oligarchs.
Putin has never mentioned Navalny's name publicly, leading to speculation that it may be a superstition or a way to avoid giving him more attention.
Navalny believes that Putin fears him because of his ability to draw crowds and mobilize people.
Navalny is a Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist who has been a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin.
Putin's government has been accused of being behind the poisonings and crackdowns on Navalny and other opposition figures.

Poisoned (00:26:36)

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent Russian opposition activist, was severely poisoned in 2015 and again in 2017.
He believes the poisonings were deliberate due to his criticism of the Russian government and his collaboration with Bill Browder, an outspoken critic of Putin's regime.
Kara-Murza and Browder successfully lobbied for the passing of the Magnitsky Act, which sanctions individuals responsible for human rights violations in Russia.
Putin's anger towards the Magnitsky Act is seen as a possible motive for targeting Kara-Murza.
Several individuals connected to the Magnitsky case, including Boris Nemtsov, have been killed or died under suspicious circumstances.
Many of Putin's political opponents, human rights lawyers, and journalists have faced untimely deaths, including Anna Politkovskaya, who was poisoned and shot.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, was imprisoned after opposing Putin and now funds a pro-democracy movement from London.
Kara-Murza, a senior organizer for Khodorkovsky's movement, has survived two suspected poisonings and continues his opposition work despite threats.
The Kremlin denies any involvement in the poisonings, but Kara-Murza believes they were an attempt to silence him and other opposition voices in Russia.