The effective confirmation by five European countries that Russia did kill opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2024 did not surprise those familiar with the Kremlin’s track record.
But the Feb. 14 statement, which blames Russia for the murder and specifies the kind of poison used, represents a new milestone in the deterioration in Russian-European relations.
Previously European countries were more reluctant to antagonize Russia. But Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and Kremlin-linked murders and sabotage all over the continent have pushed Europe towards a harsher and more resolute approach.
“It looks like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s penchant for killing has been recognized as outrageous,” Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin told the Kyiv Independent. “And now it will be impossible to restore normal relations with him. The idea that it is possible to make deals with him is becoming less and less popular in Europe.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Magnitsky
His death was the moment when Russian state dropped any pretense of being civilized.
It’s also roughly the time when Russia has pivoted from “let’s trade” narrative towards “don’t encroach on our turf” threats. Prior to that there was at least an effort to put on makeup on the Europe facing ass cheek.
Ah, I missed that part. To be fair I was only 15 at the time and not that interested in international news 😅