Last weekend I saw the HBO documentary Navalny (2022), which shows how Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny risks his life to fight against the corruption and dictatorship of President Vladimir Putin. The documentary, directed by Daniel Roher, follows Navalny from his poisoning with a nerve gas (novichok) in August 2020 to his arrest in January 2021.

The documentary shows how Navalny, after waking from his coma, is determined to return to Russia and continue his political activities, despite the threat from the secret services and the Russian regime. The documentary also shows how Navalny works with journalist Christo Grozev and researcher Maria Pevchikh to reveal the details of the assassination attempt, which is done clearly and successfully, demonstrating Putin’s involvement.

The documentary is not only a portrait of a courageous and charismatic leader, but also an indictment of violations of human rights and democracy in Russia. The documentary shows the support Navalny receives from his wife Yulia, his children Dasha and Zakhar, and his supporters Leonid Volkov and Lyubov Sobol.

It also shows the mass protests that broke out after his arrest, with thousands of people taking to the streets to demand his release. If you get a chance to see the documentary, I highly recommend that you do so. It also showed me what a pathetic, but unfortunately also a powerful organization the Kremlin is, and I truly believe that the Russian people deserve better.