your brother is currently in prison, in solitary confinement. you know that you are treading a very fine line and if you go one inch too far you will end up in prison or who knows. i you will end up in prison or who knows. , ., �* . knows. i definitely don't choose this life to _ knows. i definitely don't choose this life to myself. _ knows. i definitely don't choose this life to myself. i _ knows. i definitely don't choose this life to myself. i do - knows. i definitely don't choose this life to myself. i do what - knows. i definitely don't choose this life to myself. i do what i i knows. i definitely don't choose i this life to myself. i do what i can in this particular moment i spent a night in the prison. i knew nothing what was going on in moscow. these people

came on the street. they are still living in the country. i but my programme for this presidency is the programme for this presidency is the programme based on the needs of the majority of people. let programme based on the needs of the majority of maple-— programme based on the needs of the majority of people-— majority of people. let me stop you there. are majority of people. let me stop you there- are you _ majority of people. let me stop you there. are you absolutely _ there. are you absolutely determined, talk about your run for the presidency. are you determined to challenge vladimir putin in the election which we believe will come in 2018? you are going to run? i’m in 2018? you are going to run? i'm auoin to in 2018? you are going to run? in going to run. i am not naive. i understand that the kremlin is not happy. understand that the kremlin is not happy- i understand that the kremlin is not happy. i understand that they will do everything to prevent me from running and recently several officials said that they are not going to let me participate but still i am going to. in going to let me participate but still i am going to.— going to let me participate but still i am going to. in this office where we _ still i am going to. in this office where we speak— still i am going to. in this office where we speak you've -

still i am going to. in this office where we speak you've already| still i am going to. in this office i where we speak you've already got your stick is ready. if you lose this court case based on fraud you will be barred from running. whatever you tell me about your discriminations.— whatever you tell me about your discriminations. there is nothing in the current... _ discriminations. there is nothing in the current... they _ discriminations. there is nothing in the current... they imprisoned - discriminations. there is nothing in the current... they imprisoned me | the current... they imprisoned me for five years and they released me on the next day. the same with my participation in the may oral election. it was almost impossible to participate when people came on the street and said that we are going to not recognise this election without him participating.— without him participating. alexei navalny speaking _ without him participating. alexei navalny speaking to _ without him participating. alexei navalny speaking to my - without him participating. alexei i navalny speaking to my colleague. that was back in 2017. let us speak now to a senior adviser for russia in europe at the us institute for peace. i understand you are based in moscow for a while as well. let me ask you for your reaction on today's

news? i ask you for your reaction on today's news? ., , ask you for your reaction on today's news? , . ., , ask you for your reaction on today's news? . ., , .,, ask you for your reaction on today's news? . ., , ., , news? i most certainly was and this is reminiscent _ news? i most certainly was and this is reminiscent of— news? i most certainly was and this is reminiscent of the _ news? i most certainly was and this is reminiscent of the darkest - news? i most certainly was and this is reminiscent of the darkest days l is reminiscent of the darkest days of the soviet period. alexei navalny was a brave leader as was his life clean micro wife who has shown remarkable courage as well. this is a turning point. they wanted him dead and now he is. whetherfrom a turning point. they wanted him dead and now he is. whether from the foreign ministry or the russian judicial system are going to be walked one way or another. this is another example that there is no turning back for the authoritarian course that putin has embarked on. it is going to be increasingly difficult for the west to make any kind of... with russia. that is unlikely for the foreseeable future this does raise questions about the russian opposition. about the

internal opposition to putin inside russia and also the state of the elite around putin. you might mark this as an important day on the calendar after the uprising last june. russia is going in a bad direction. there are a a lot of barely detectable fragility is in the system we will have to see how it plays out. we the system we will have to see how it plays out-— it plays out. we have been hearing from the us _ it plays out. we have been hearing from the us vice _ it plays out. we have been hearing from the us vice president - it plays out. we have been hearing from the us vice president who - it plays out. we have been hearingl from the us vice president who said that alexei navalny death would be a further sign of the brutality of russia's vladimir putin. i remember backin russia's vladimir putin. i remember back in the day there was a reset button that hillary clinton had, we had the trump, putin summit. where are things left with the us, russia relationship now.— are things left with the us, russia relationship now. there is not much left. the

relationship now. there is not much left- the us — relationship now. there is not much left. the us and _ relationship now. there is not much left. the us and uk _ relationship now. there is not much left. the us and uk expressed - left. the us and uk expressed interest in talking about arms control is but it is not going to happen any time soon. a lot of the western leaders talked about pushing back on the kremlin if there was a tragedy such as what happened today but they are almost out of levers to push back on. sanctions have been used on the ukraine disaster. a lot of other pressures have been put on the kremlin regime but it continues, brutally and single—mindedly to go in its present direction. i'm not sure what the west can do now other than express the kinds of remorse and regrets as they did. however there is a remarkable move of the russian diaspora in the west in washington and london. what you are

seeing now in the first time in a long time is these disparate russian opposition groups talking to come up with a strategy to try to get together. there is no question that there are a lot of russians who don't like the way the country is going but the challenge is that a lot of them are organised as groups who would act against the putin regime are in the west. that is why they are gathering their but for now i think we will have to wait and keep russia isolated and contained. we have heard the russian foreign ministry urging the us to show restraint and wait for the result of the forensic medical accusation before accusing russia of alexei navalny�*s —— it is unsurprising reaction from russia. as a diplomat

in russia serving the us interests i wanted to ask you we are in a presidential election year, what sort of conversation are the democrats and republicans having around that relationship between the us and russia, particularly when we look at the fact that donal trump at one point held that summit with vladimir putin? i’m one point held that summit with vladimir putin?— one point held that summit with vladimir putin? �* ., , ., ., ., vladimir putin? i'm a diplomat and i work at a place _ vladimir putin? i'm a diplomat and i work at a place is _ vladimir putin? i'm a diplomat and i work at a place is partizan _ vladimir putin? i'm a diplomat and i work at a place is partizan so - vladimir putin? i'm a diplomat and i work at a place is partizan so i - work at a place is partizan so i might not comment on the us election process however the issue such as russia's course with the ukrainian aid and a lot of other challenges that russia are placing to the us around the world, i think those are now going to be a stark relief, and as in the uk the west needs to come up as in the uk the west needs to come up with a strategy that will curtail this monstrous behaviour by the kremlin. ., ~

this monstrous behaviour by the kremlin. ., ,, , ., ., this monstrous behaviour by the kremlin. ., ,, ., , ., ., , kremlin. thank you, a senior adviser for russia on — kremlin. thank you, a senior adviser for russia on us. .. _ kremlin. thank you, a senior adviser for russia on us. .. thank— kremlin. thank you, a senior adviser for russia on us. .. thank you - kremlin. thank you, a senior adviser for russia on us. .. thank you for - for russia on us... thank you for sharing your insights. joining me to discuss developments further is the bbc monitoring russia's editor. welcome back to the studio, i was talking about what we are hearing from russia's foreign ministry, they are urging the us to show restraint and wait for the examination. how much play is this actually getting in russia, is this headline news? it is not, as far as i am aware there has been at least one relatively brief report on state tv channel one which essentially quoted from that announcements from russia's prison services but given the history of relations between president putin and alexei navalny i don't think we should expect this to become big

news in russia. time and again the kremlin suggests that there is no reason to pay attention to alexei navalny. time and again they have refused to call alexei navalny by his name. they photo him as that gentleman. i think it is reasonable to think that this will be swept under the carpet at this stage and in terms of a forensic investigation into his death it would be naive to expect it to reveal the truth and the whole truth of what happened given the extreme amount of control that the kremlin has over the prison service and over the forensic service. it service and over the forensic service. ., , , ., service and over the forensic service. . , , ., ., , service. it has been a few hours since the _ service. it has been a few hours since the prison _ service. it has been a few hours since the prison authorities - since the prison authorities announced that alexei navalny had died. what have we heard from president putin? he died. what have we heard from president putin?—

president putin? he has been s-ueakin president putin? he has been speaking to — president putin? he has been speaking to workers - president putin? he has been speaking to workers at - president putin? he has been speaking to workers at a - president putin? he has been l speaking to workers at a factory president putin? he has been - speaking to workers at a factory and unsurprisingly he wasn't asked about this. you don't volunteer any comments about it, that is how he handles this kind of news. he might say something in the future but that is frankly unlikely. his spokesman will be asked about this tomorrow or next week rather at his regular daily briefings with the media. i wouldn't expect him to be completely frank and honest about alexei navalny�*s death given the fact that he had been a thorn in the kremlin's side for so long. we heard... we

heard from _ side for so long. we heard... we heard from his wife earlier and she said before she spoke that she had met with us secretary of state antony blinken i think we're going be able to play you some of that speech that she gave. she had a standing ovation. we are going to play back some of what she had to say. iam sure i am sure alexei navalny would be here on this stage talking to you. i don't know whether i should believe the news about his death, we are receiving this news only from the state sources. for many years and

you know that putin's government are always lying. but if that is true, i know putin's allies and friends, that they would be responsible and held responsible with what they have done with our country and my husband and with our people. this day will come sooner than you think and i am asking everyone who is here and all international community to unite and

help to punish this regime in russia. this regime and vladimir putin must be held personally responsible for all the horrible things that they are doing, what they are doing to russia and to us in these past few years, thank you very much. in these past few years, thank you very much-— very much. that was the wife of alexei navalny _ very much. that was the wife of alexei navalny speaking - very much. that was the wife of alexei navalny speaking at - very much. that was the wife of alexei navalny speaking at the | alexei navalny speaking at the munich security conference. one thing that reminds us of is how there are still voices outside of russia trying to speak out against corruption and speak up for free speech. it corruption and speak up for free seech. ., , ., ., _ speech. it does, and obviously it was difficult _ speech. it does, and obviously it was difficult not _ speech. it does, and obviously it was difficult not to _ speech. it does, and obviously it was difficult not to hear- speech. it does, and obviously it was difficult not to hear her- speech. it does, and obviously it| was difficult not to hear her voice shake with emotion and it is obvious

that this is a personal tragedy as well as a tragedy for all of russia. in terms of how this is being perceived within russia of course it is one thing to speak out against president putin's from abroad and it is completely different to show any kind of opposition to him from within russia. we have been seeing reports of the past few hours of russians bringing flowers to improvise memorials for alexei navalny in moscow. the numbers are not huge. but navalny in moscow. the numbers are not hue. �* , , , navalny in moscow. the numbers are nothu:e. �* , , ,., not huge. but they numbers are significant- _ not huge. but they numbers are significant. these _ not huge. but they numbers are significant. these people - not huge. but they numbers are significant. these people are . not huge. but they numbers are - significant. these people are taking a bi risk significant. these people are taking a big risk doing _ significant. these people are taking a big risk doing this, _ significant. these people are taking a big risk doing this, people - significant. these people are taking a big risk doing this, people in - a big risk doing this, people in russia have been fined and jailed for less for liking a post on social media for example so this is dangerous but whenever we talk about public opinion in russia we have two remember that there are people like that who are willing to risk

everything to demonstrate this kind of sentiment. however in this kind of sentiment. however in this kind of repressive environment it is difficult to expect them to make a huge difference. vladimir putin has all but quashed domestic opposition. alexei navalny�*s anti—corruption alexei navalny�*s anti—corru ption institution alexei navalny�*s anti—corruption institution has been banned. his associates are in jail or in exile. thinking back to alexei navalny had or had not been able to do in russia it is a fact that the rally is that he has organised, the ones he has been able to hold, they did not bring out sufficient numbers of people into the street to topple vladimir putin's government or even

secure a place for alexei navalny on