By Christian Caryl
Op-ed editor, Global Opinions
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Vladimir Kara-Murza has experienced a lot during the year and a half he has spent in prison. Even so, the Russian opposition politician (and longtime Post contributing columnist) didn’t know quite what to expect when his guards recently surprised him with the news that he was about to take part in a video conference. Prison officials had given him no warning of the event.

So imagine his even greater surprise when he learned the reason: His virtual presence was requested at a new trial of his colleague Alexei Navalny, another prominent regime critic who has been serving a multiyear sentence since 2021. Law enforcement officials had decided to try Navalny yet again, this time for “extremism” — a term often used by the Kremlin to tar its pro-democracy opponents.

And yet, as Vladimir notes in his account of the incident, both men found cause to savor their long-distance encounter despite the bizarre circumstances under which it took place. "We hadn’t spoken since Alexei’s arrest in January 2021, so it was nice to see one another, even in such unorthodox circumstances," he writes. Vladimir's report helps to illuminate how these two prisoners — and thousands of others like them — have found the idealism and the strength to fight back against the savage regime of Vladimir Putin. We think you’ll find it worth the read.

(Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)

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