Episode 1: The Crackdown
Alexei Navalny’s new home is around 100 kilometres from Moscow, at the end of a muddy path, on the outskirts of the small town of Pokrov. A year after his poisoning, the main opponent to Vladimir Putin lives in a high-security prison. His anti-corruption foundation is banned. Many of his allies are in exile, independent media outlets are closing down and a ‘climate of fear’ reigns among his supporters.
About 'The Poisoning' podcast ----
"He is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most determined and outspoken opponent. He was nearly poisoned to death in August 2020 in Siberia and is now in a high-security prison. Is there any real opposition left in Russia? What do we know about the poisoning? And who really is Alexei Navalny – a social media star, a hero to some, a racist nationalist to others and an agent of the West according to Russian authorities? Why have his anti-corruption investigations touched such a nerve? And do we have anything to fear from Russia? The answers are to be found in this series produced by four AFP journalists based in Moscow and Paris, based on exclusive first-hand accounts and interviews from Agnes Callamard, the former UN rapporteur on the poisoning; Piotr Tolstoy, the deputy chairman of Russia’s lower house; Vladimir Kara-Murza, a poisoned opposition figure; and many activists and experts."