navalny's right eye needed surgery.avalny accused the kremlin of organizing the attack. >> ( translated ): even if i look like this, does that mean that we will accept money's been stolen and used to buy yachts? i don't think so. >> reporter: navalny's poll numbers remain low, but he's changing public opinion. two-thirds of russians now identify corruption as the country's number one problem. president putin avoids responding to navalny substantively. but the navalny effect means at a town hall in moscow, where questions are usually screened in advance, this teenager dared to ask putin about corrupt officials undermining the public's faith in government. >> ( translated ): how are you planning to solve this problem? >> reporter: putin responded: >> ( translated ): you read your question. did you prepare it yourself, or did someone put you up to it? >> ( translated ): life prepared me for this question. ( laughter and applause ) >> reporter: while he's inspired the younger generation, some fellow putin opponents criticiz

they follow navalny. >> navalny wants to run for president next year but the government charged him withwhich he says were trumped up to stop him from running against putin. he's been arrested, been beaten, had green liquid thrown at his face which nearly blinded him but he and his supporters fight on. the putin has a backing of a vast majority of russians. they see him as a strong man, the only man who can revive russia's power in a world full of enemies. that's why putin loves making enemies. >> putin cannot afford peace. he needs con flick as the only atmosphere where he can survive. >> it's the neverending conflict with the whole world that gives putin cover for a never ending crackdown on anyone who speaks out against him. and no one speaks out as loudly as this group. this stunt made these young profane women in ski masks world famous and landed two of them in prison. >> this man says that you can't criticize your government. >> they're out now and whatever lesson the system was trying to teach them, they didn't learn it. we asked one member, who everyone calls masha, about the gro

they follow navalny. >> navalny wants to run for president next year but the government charged him withch he says were trumped up to stop him from running against putin. he's been arrested, been beaten, had green liquid thrown at his face which nearly blinded him but he and his supporters fight on. the putin has a backing of a vast majority of russians. they see him as a strong man, the only man who can revive russia's power in a world full of enemies. that's why putin loves making enemies. >> putin cannot afford peace. he needs conflict as the only atmosphere where he can survive. >> it's the neverending conflict with the whole world that gives putin cover for a never ending crackdown on anyone who speaks out against him. and no one speaks out as loudly as this group. this stu me these young profane women in ski masks world famous and landed two of them in prison. >> this man says that you can't criticize your government. >> they're out now and whatever lesson the system was trying to teach them, they didn't learn it. we asked one member, who everyone calls masha, about the group's pro

and navalny wasn't even there. he was arrested right outside his apartment building.zones, people answered his call and took to the streets. 1700 of them were detained by police. anti-putin, anti-corruption demonstrations like these are usually broke unup with force. what's remarkable about these demonstrations is that they took place at all. the world's most famous chess master believes that shows that things in russia are finally starting to change. >> it's a brand-new trend in russia when you have young people, almost teenagers with, those who are not poisoned by putin's propaganda machine. they're not brainwashed by tv because they don't watch tv. they noll low navalny. >> that volny wants to run for president nooex year but the government charged him with financial crimes which he says were trumped up to stop him from running against putin. he's been arrested, been beaten, had green liquid thrown at his face which nearly blinded him but he and his supporters fight on. the putin has a backing of a vast majority of russians. they see him as a strong man, the only m

alexei navalny is a 41-year-old prominent politician. a lot of people who are young really like him. he goes to these events and takes selfies with literally hundreds of people. he speaks their language. there is probably a ceiling to his popularity and that is partially generational and partially because of urban, liberal, higher-educated russians will be listening to him whereas the other part of the country will be listening to the propaganda on the evening. but his growing popularity, the kremlin takes him very seriously, and he's beginning to change people's perceptions. >> glor: how much does vladimir putin dictate how popular he may become? >> marsha has a good sense on whether putin is this master manipulator. she says, you know, there are emanations that come from the kremlin, that come from the top. i's almost shakespearean. oh, who can rid me of this person? i need to walk out of the room, then the loyal lieutenants kind of figure it out. how much control putin has in everything, we're just guessing, but the system is clearly

navalny himself is just getting out of prison now. navalny's anti-corruption group produced a long video, basically a documentary about uri chaca, about the federal prosecutor in russia last year. an english language version of it came out in january last. they produced a russian language version of it before that. the accusations in that documentary were that uri chaca in addition to being the top prosecutor, the main allegation in this video was that in addition to that, he and his family and he and his cronies have somehow also managed to amass massive wealth and a huge business empire, including a luxury spa hotel in greece and gigantic salt mines in russia and all these other things that you wouldn't think he'd be able to afford on his prosecutor's salary. uri chaca, one of the most high-profile, hated, and feared members of the putin government, hand-picked for the prosecutor position by putin himself. uri chaca is also now, i think, the most pronounceable russian name in this week's torrent of tonishinnews about the trump campa

navalny is just getting out of prison now. organized protests across cities in russia last month. his production group produced a documentary about the federal prosecutor in russia last year. an english language version came out in january, a russian language version before that. and the accusations in that documentary is that in addition to being the top prosecutor in putin's brutal government, the main allegation about this video is that in addition to that he and his family and he and his cronies have somehow imagined to emass massive wealth and a huge business empire, including a luxury spa hotel in greece and gigantic salt mines in russia. all of these things you wouldn't think he would be able to afford on his prosecutor's salary. one of the hated members of the putin government, hand picked for the prosecutor position by putin himself. he's also now, i think, the most pronounceable russian name in this week's torrent of astonishing information. tuesday morning is when president trump's eldest son released an e-mail chain, a meeting that has blown up into a major problem for

navalny is just getting out of prison now. organized protests across cities in russia last month. his production group produced a documentary about bt the federal prosecutor in russia last year. an english language version came out in january, a russian language version before that. and the accusations in that documentary is that in addition to being the top prosecutor in putin's brutal government, the main allegation about this video is that in addition to that he and his family and he and his cronies have somehow imagined to e mass massive wealth and a huge business empire, including a luxury spa hotel in greece and gigantic salt mines in russia. all of these things you wouldn't think he would be able to afford on his prosecutor's salary. one of the hated members of the putin government, hand picked for the prosecutor position by putin himself. he's also now, i think, the most pronounceable russian name in this week's rotorrent of aston h astonishing information. tuesday morning is when president trump's eldest son released an e-mail chain, a meeting that has blown up into a maj

the raid came as navalny is set to be released from jail after he was arrested on an many charges. the protests drew a harsh crackdown by russian police, who beat demonstrators and arrested more than 1000. official site it disqualifies him to challenge putin for the presidency. on thursday, his campaign chair that he will carry on. >> over the weekend, we plan to hold a major campaign event which includes disturbing our leaflets, hoholding pickets, displaying information about our campaign, and the authorities are try to disrupt it. the wantrities simply do not him to campaign. this will not stop us in a matter what we will campaign. amy: and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace repoport. i'm amy goodman.n. mass protests continue across hamburg, germany, as world leaders gather for the g20 summit. demonstrators scheduled sit ins and attempted to disrupt the first of the g20 summit. according to the news agency dpa , melania trump was unable to leave her hotel because of the protest. on thursday, about 100,000 protesters took t

an in-depth look at rising opposition to president vladimir putin, led by alexei navalny who is inspiringak out against corruption. >> reporter: the 41-year-old lawyer is the country's most prominent opposition politician, on a crusade against corruption. his rallies are unusual in a country where retail campaigning is almost unheard of. the crowds are young, and he talks like them. >> ( translated ): they think we have no right to ask questions, that we have to shut up and listen. but no, we have gathered here to say we're going to ask these questions and we'll obtain the answers. >> his anti-corruption message resonates with me. and i think that he's a very charismatic politician. pbs newshour weekend. >> woodruff: that's tomorrow on pbs newshour weekend. and we'll be back, right here, on monday when the healthcare battle will heat up as the congressional budget office is expected to release its analysis of the latest senate bill. that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. have a great weekend. thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by

last year, cossacks doused the main opposition leader alexei navalny and attacked his staff. in kaliningrad, when a small group of demonstrators demanded the government change its foreign policy, they were surveilled and a cossack beat up 63-year-old protester yevgeniy greishen. he lost 80% of his eyesight. >> ( translated ): if the regime can't suppress civil protest through legal means, they punish the people through affiliated associations, like the cossacks. the regime acts through them. >> reporter: why have the authorities cracked down so much? >> ( translated ): in russia, statehood comes first, and human rights come last. they use any means to prove the state is the most important. more important than a human. >> reporter: the idea that the state is more important than the people is actually not new. russians have long had a collective identity. >> we consider ourselves to be the part of the whole. to be russian it is, it means to share the same cultural and historic identity. >> reporter: for years, tv- fixture and firebrand alexander dugin inspired the kremlin's ide