'Discontent Is Growing' in Russia: Former Kremlin Speechwriter

Discontent for Russian President Vladimir Putin is "growing" throughout Russia, according to former Kremlin speechwriter Abbas Gallyamov.

Speaking with CNN's Brianna Keilar on Wednesday, Gallyamov said that the Kremlin's reaction to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny will fuel the already growing restlessness among citizens ahead of Russia's presidential election next month.

"Sooner or later, it will definitely backfire, because this discontent is growing," Gallyamov told Keilar.

The Context

Navalny, 47, died on Friday while serving a 30-year prison sentence for fraud, inciting and financing extremism, and other charges that many condemned as politically motivated. Hundreds of his supporters were arrested at vigils held throughout Russia in the days following his death, and according to local media reports, several have been given military service summonses as punishment.

The crackdown on the vigils were reminiscent of protests that broke out in September 2022 after the Kremlin announced a partial military mobilization for its war against Ukraine. At the time, over 1,300 people were arrested for demonstrating against Putin's war efforts.

Polling data has also shown a growing discontent for Putin's "special military operation" among Russian citizens. In a recent survey conducted by Russian Field, 37 percent of respondents said that they would like to or would "definitely" cancel Moscow's invasion of Ukraine if they could go back in time. The results were the highest level of opposition to the war in Ukraine that Russian Field has observed since February 2022.

What We Know

Gallyamov told Keilar on Wednesday that he expects dissent in Russia to eventually become "so strong" that it amounts to a "moment of military defeat or some military riots," referring to the failed uprising by late Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in June.

"I'm not expecting anything like an explosion or revolution to happen right now," Gallyamov said. "But it's gaining potential."

"The vast majority of the population are not proponents of the opposition," he continued. "Those who were previously loyal to Putin [however], they don't like this crackdown. They're becoming more and more, you know, 'unloyal.'"

Newsweek reached out to the Kremlin's press office via email for comment on Wednesday night.

The Views

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in Navalny's death, saying in a statement that the activist had felt unwell after going for a walk, "lost consciousness almost immediately" and died shortly afterward.

President Joe Biden, however, immediately blamed Putin, and is expected to announced a package of fresh sanctions against Russia in response to Navalny's death.

Gallyamov said that if the Kremlin was behind Navalny's demise, it was likely because discontent for Putin is spreading so close to the next presidential election, noting that some opposition candidates like Boris Nadezhdin have attracted a lot of attention in the weeks leading up to the polls.

"This discontent is growing, and it's big," Gallyamov said. "The only thing you can do is chop off the heads of all the opposition leaders, so that at least this discontent ... [is] unstructured."

What's Next?

Russia's next presidential election is scheduled for March 17, and despite the growing dissent, Putin is already the anticipated winner. If reelected, the Russian leader would seize his fifth term in office, and thanks to changes made to Russia's constitution under Putin's administration, he could seek two more terms after 2024.

Correction 02/22/24, 2:23 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to reflect that CNN's Brianna Keilar conducted the interview with Abbas Gallyamov.