Vladimir Putin speaking and pointing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking during a press conference at a summit on October 14, 2022 in Astana, KazakhstanGetty Images
  • According to the Guardian, Navalny's top aide said that Putin is crazy.

  • "Putin doesn't care about international reaction, sanctions or anything like that," he said.

  • If Putin sees Navalny as a bargaining chip, he could be in trouble.

According to the imprisoned Kremlin critic's top aide, Navalny's survival is at risk due to the fact that Putin is crazy.

The Navalny team believed that the world would blame the Kremlin if the opposition leader died in prison. According to the Guardian, Navalny's top aide said that Putin's handling of the Ukraine war has changed their opinion of him.

Volkov said that the assessment of how crazy Putin actually is was incorrect.

Putin has become an international pariah due to the war in Ukraine. The unprovoked invasion of Russia has been condemned by many countries. Despite the fact that the war has not been very good for Russia, Putin has not given up on his goal of subjugating Ukraine.

The hope is that Navalny could be seen as a bargaining chip in the end of the war.

Putin thinks about future scenarios even though he is not very familiar with reality. There is a chance that Navalny is a bargaining chip. It could be important.

Navalny, who has been a vocal critic of Putin while in prison, said last week that he was moved to solitary confinement in order to "shut me up."

Navalny urged people to campaign against the war and Putin in a series of messages.

During his time in prison, the Russian opposition leader's health has been an issue. Volkov was concerned about Navalny's condition and ability to communicate now that he's alone.

"Now the situation is very bad, because his communication with the outside world is very limited, and his health is in danger, and his physical condition might get worse." He said that we need to keep talking about Navalny.

Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent in Siberia. The incident almost killed Navalny. The leader of Russia denied any involvement.

After receiving treatment in Germany, Navalny returned to Moscow and was arrested. The Russian opposition leader was sentenced to time tacked on to his sentence after he was accused of being politically motivated. Mass protests took place in 2021. In June of last year, Volkov told Insider that Putin was dumb to throw Navalny in prison because he turned him into a symbol for Russians.

Business Insider has an article on it.