Vladimir Putin faces token opposition in the polls this weekend after his regime has viciously cracked down on opposition figures. He’s likely to be even more repressive in his next term.

Like Nelson Mandela, Navalny might have become a redemptive leader, leading his people from war and tyranny to the promised of a freer society.

The apparent death of the warlord in a plane shot down over Russia tells us much about the fragility that surrounds Russian politics.