Thread by @uaexplainers

Navalny's team has launched a huge Free Navalny campaign with @anneapplebaum among its advisers and aspirations to win the Oscar for the Navalny movie. Good for them.

Ukrainians and many other nations colonized by Russia are increasingly critical of the campaign.
Here's why:
1/

Many prominent voices have already raised concerns about Navalny's far-right and racist views, so we're not going to focus on Navalny himself.

Instead, let's talk about the positioning of the Free Navalny campaign and its stated goals.

What is it aiming to achieve?
2/

The campaign tries to raise awareness about Navalny's imprisonment and the need to free him from Putin's criminal regime.

Unfortunately, it's not 2014 anymore. Putin doesn't care about western sanctions, and public pressure won't force Putin to suddenly release Navalny.
3/

The only condition under which Navalny can be freed is if the regime is somehow forced to do it or if Putin is out of power.

The only force that de-facto fights Putin's regime and has a chance of defeating it is... Ukraine's armed forces. Navalny's team should realize that.
4/

But Free Navalny does nothing to join our cause.

It never called for military support to Ukraine, and it never acknowledged that the fight of Ukraine is their fight as well.

Free Navalny is based on a vague idea that freeing Navalny would somehow make Russia democratic.
5/

Instead of becoming a true force for change (even in exile), Navalny's team operates as harmless, planless intelligentsia fighting for media attention and donations.

It ignores the fact that Ukrainians are doing all the actual work for them all while defending their land.
6/

While Free Navalny does nothing to support Ukraine's victory and Putin's military defeat, they do exploit the anti-war sentiment to whitewash Navalny's reputation and insert themselves into the international effort to support Ukraine.

"Be against war, free Navalny" they say.
6/

Navalny hasn't been a prominent anti-war voice since the 2014 occupation of Crimea in the first place, but let's omit that for a second.

The fact that Free Navalny is trying to use anti-war rhetoric to increase international support for the campaign is simply dirty.
7/

It's dirty because it uses international anti-war sentiment and directs it to a cause that has no plan of action and no real impact.

Every dollar donated to Free Navalny is a dollar that could be applied much more effectively if donated to Ukraine's resistance.
8/

And this is not a minor mistake of Navalny's campaign. There is a system to Navalny's treatment of Ukraine's resistance.

In 2015, Navalny already called for the US not to arm Ukraine because "military victory of Ukraine over Russia is impossible."
9/

washingtonpost.com/world/europe/d…

In the spring of 2022, Navalny compared the efficiency of military support to Ukraine to funding the anti-war digital ads campaign within Russia.

Team Navalny doesn't care about Ukraine's fight. They treat it as their primary fundraising competitor.
10/

That is why they get increasingly annoyed by the criticism coming from Ukraine.

The Ukrainians are telling the uncomfortable truth: the best way to free Navalny is to donate to Ukraine's military resistance – not to a team of YouTubers and politicians in exile.

11/

Plus, freeing the Navalny – although a just cause in essence – is not inherently anti-war and not a solution to Russia's bloody imperial project.

Until Free Navalny stops exploiting Ukraine's cause and starts actually supporting it, the Ukrainians will remain skeptical.

12/12