Speaker 1: Already and this this is the daily This is the
Speaker 1: Daily OS. Oh, now it makes sense. Good morning, and
Speaker 1: welcome to the Daily OS. It is Tuesday, the twentieth
Speaker 1: of February.
Speaker 2: I'm billy, I'm emma.
Speaker 1: Over the weekend, Alexi Navalney, the most vocal critic of
Speaker 1: Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in prison.
Speaker 2: Russia's prison authorities have announced that the leading Kremlin critic,
Speaker 2: Alexi Nevelni has died. Alexi date yesterday on sixteenth of
Speaker 2: February at seventeen pm local time.
Speaker 3: Putin is Responsible's death. Putin is responsible.
Speaker 1: Navalney was in jails serving multiple sentences for crimes he
Speaker 1: claimed were fabricated. Since the news of his death broke,
Speaker 1: many Western leaders have been quick to blame the Russian
Speaker 1: government for his death. In today's deep dive discussing who
Speaker 1: Alexi noaval Nee was and why his death has such
Speaker 1: significant global ramifications. But first, Emma, what's making him?
Speaker 2: By Sydney casino, The Star will face the Independent Casino
Speaker 2: Commission for a second time. A twenty twenty two inquiry
Speaker 2: said the Star was ineligible for a casino license after
Speaker 2: it found evidence of money laundering, organized crime and fraud.
Speaker 2: The Chief Commissioner said a follow up inquiry will determine
Speaker 2: if the Star has properly addressed structural change to reduce misconduct.
Speaker 2: The Star will need to prove a substantial shift in
Speaker 2: its operations to ensure its original management is fit to
Speaker 2: regain the casino license. The casino has been run by
Speaker 2: an independent manager since that report was handed down. The
Speaker 2: inquiry is expected to last almost four months, with the
Speaker 2: final report due at the end of May.
Speaker 1: Researchers at the Australian Nation University have found evidence to
Speaker 1: debunk myths around the stereotypical smoker. The world first study
Speaker 1: found that of the two point five million Aussies who
Speaker 1: smoke daily, most are employed, educated and have good mental health.
Speaker 1: Using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the report
Speaker 1: found sixty percent of Australian smokers a men, sixty five
Speaker 1: percent live in major cities, and ninety two percent of
Speaker 1: smokers are non indigenous.
Speaker 2: Seventy firefighters have responded to a factory fire in France
Speaker 2: that burned through nine hundred tons of highly flammable lithium
Speaker 2: batteries over the weekend. The blaze at a recycling and
Speaker 2: storage facility near Toulouse in southern France sent thick black
Speaker 2: smoke into the air as it burned through thousands of
Speaker 2: lithium batteries. The batteries are commonly used in electric vehicles, phones,
Speaker 2: laptops and tablets. In Australia, faulty lithium batteries have been
Speaker 2: blamed for a string of recent fires, particularly from e bikes.
Speaker 1: And Today's Good News. In a sweeping measure to solve
Speaker 1: plastic waste, a small business in Cambodia has found a
Speaker 1: way to upcycle plastic bottles into brooms. Plastic bottles can
Speaker 1: be recycled in bulk by cutting old plastic bottles into
Speaker 1: thin strips to create the brooms bristles, which are then
Speaker 1: tied to a bamboo stick. In almost a year, the
Speaker 1: business has upcycled around fifty tons of plastic bottles to
Speaker 1: create almost five hundred brooms a day, so Billy.
Speaker 2: Late on Friday evening, it was announced that Alexi Navalni,
Speaker 2: who was Russia's main opposition leader the main critic of
Speaker 2: Putin and his government, died in jail at the age
Speaker 2: of forty seven. Navalne was famous not just in Russia
Speaker 2: but all around the world for being President Vladimir Putin's
Speaker 2: most vocal critic. So I think to start us off,
Speaker 2: we need to talk about exactly who Alexinovalni was.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was quite shocking news to wake up to
Speaker 1: on Saturday morning. I feel like it's something that we've
Speaker 1: known could potentially happen, but still I think when it
Speaker 1: does happen, it feels shocking.
Speaker 2: I think a lot of people felt that way, like
Speaker 2: a long time coming potentially in terms of the risk
Speaker 2: and the risks that he had taken. But yeah, exactly,
Speaker 2: I think a similar emotional response for probably a lot
Speaker 2: of our audience.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so let's talk about who he was. So he
Speaker 1: first rose to prominence in the two thousands for blogging
Speaker 1: online about the corruption he believed to be widespread in Russia,
Speaker 1: and certainly he's not alone in that belief. In doing
Speaker 1: research for this, I came across this quote from twenty
Speaker 1: and eleven, which I think really speaks to exactly what
Speaker 1: he believed then and certainly believed as the years went on.
Speaker 1: So he told Reuters at the time, quote corruption is
Speaker 1: the foundation of contemporary Russia. It is a foundation of
Speaker 1: mister Putin's political power. I would like to be president,
Speaker 1: but there are no elections in Russia.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 1: He went on to be the most successful opponent to Pudin,
Speaker 1: and we've said that he was the opposition leader, but
Speaker 1: he actually never was able to run for office, and
Speaker 1: that's because Russia has an authoritative government, which is exactly
Speaker 1: what Navalni was so passionate about criticizing and changing, but
Speaker 1: clearly wasn't able to do that. In the last presidential
Speaker 1: election in twenty eighteen, he did try, but he was
Speaker 1: formally barred from running due to a fraud conviction, which
Speaker 1: was widely viewed as politically motivated. So people widely said
Speaker 1: that the Russian government just did this to stop him
Speaker 1: from ever being able to run against Pudin, as opposed
Speaker 1: to it being a credible conviction.
Speaker 2: I think we also need to point out here that
Speaker 2: Putin and the Kremlin Russian officials would argue against the
Speaker 2: notion that Russia does not conduct elections. There is an
Speaker 2: election coming this year. The question is, and the argument
Speaker 2: from Navalni from the years that he was active in
Speaker 2: Russian politics, has always been that those elections are not
Speaker 2: free and fair, that they are a front to give
Speaker 2: the illusion of free democracy, but that the results are
Speaker 2: guaranteed and that the power stays in the hands of
Speaker 2: Vladimir Putin.
Speaker 1: And certainly without a opposition, you can't really have a
Speaker 1: fair election exactly, But let's keep going. You might also
Speaker 1: know this was massive news at the time that in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty Navalny was actually poisoned.
Speaker 2: I do remember this. There was a series of poisonings
Speaker 2: around that time. I think people listening have probably heard
Speaker 2: the word Novachuk a few times. What can you tell
Speaker 2: me about that incident, specifically, what happened to Nevalni?
Speaker 1: Yes, So, in twenty twenty Navalny became violently ill after
Speaker 1: boarding a flight to Moscow, and that was very sudden.
Speaker 1: At the time, there weren't really any symptoms before now.
Speaker 1: He was treated by doctors in Germany and they had
Speaker 1: no idea what happened at the time, But the German
Speaker 1: government later announced that he had been poisoned by Russia
Speaker 1: in an attempt to silence him. The then German leader
Speaker 1: Angela Merkle said he had been the victim of a crime,
Speaker 1: and she said it raised questions only the Russian government
Speaker 1: can answer.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: Of course, Pruden denied any involvement in that. But since
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, Navalni has been in prison, serving multiple
Speaker 1: prison sentences, including a nineteen year sentence for extremism, and
Speaker 1: he again said all of those cases against him were
Speaker 1: completely fabricated and had no credibility behind them. Despite being
Speaker 1: in prison, though, that did not stop him from campaigning
Speaker 1: for what he believed in. For example, he was a
Speaker 1: staunch opponent of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and he certainly
Speaker 1: kept campaigning for that to end while he was in jail.
Speaker 2: Going back to that poisoning incident, you said, Billy, that
Speaker 2: he was treated in Germany. The German government announced or
Speaker 2: accused Russia of poisoning him. Of course, Navalny ended up
Speaker 2: back in Russia, back behind bars, and that was because
Speaker 2: he passionately believed so much in the importance of that
Speaker 2: opposition existing in Russia. He could have stayed in Germany,
Speaker 2: he could have lived in exile, but he went back
Speaker 2: to face those charges, and that's ultimately why he ended
Speaker 2: up in jailen and in jail is where he died.
Speaker 2: So we know he was a staunch critic of the Kremlin.
Speaker 2: He had survived this previous attack. What do we know
Speaker 2: about his death. What happened on the weekend.
Speaker 1: So his death was announced in an extremely vague statement
Speaker 1: from the prison service in the region where he was
Speaker 1: in jail, and it said convict Alexi Navalny felt unwell
Speaker 1: after a war, almost immediately losing consciousness. All necessary resuscitation
Speaker 1: measures were carried out, which did not yield positive results.
Speaker 1: Doctors of the ambulance stated the death of the convict. Now, initially,
Speaker 1: Navalny's representatives actually couldn't confirm his death, but they said
Speaker 1: that if it was true, he was killed. But then
Speaker 1: over the weekend, his official spokesperson did confirm his death,
Speaker 1: writing on x Alexi Navalny was murdered. We demand that
Speaker 1: Alexi Navalne's body be handed over to his family immediately. Now,
Speaker 1: according to Rud's, Navalny's family was told that he had
Speaker 1: died of sudden death syndrome. And that's a pretty vague term,
Speaker 1: but it basically means that he would have died suddenly
Speaker 1: from a cardiac arress. But I think it's fair to
Speaker 1: say that the world reaction is that Navalny didn't just
Speaker 1: die suddenly, and this is certainly not being seen as
Speaker 1: an accident.
Speaker 2: Yeah, just in regards to that global response, we've seen
Speaker 2: a bit in Australia. Obviously in countries outside of Russia,
Speaker 2: the conversation does not have to hide behind any of that.
Speaker 2: So what are world leaders and other countries saying about this?
Speaker 1: Well, I think it's unsurprising for anyone who is familiar
Speaker 1: with this story that many Western world leaders, including Australias,
Speaker 1: have blamed Pudin and his regime in no uncertain terms.
Speaker 1: There is no ambiguity. There's not even the word allegedly
Speaker 1: being used. These leaders are saying Putin is responsible. I'll
Speaker 1: give you a few examples. So here's a short grab
Speaker 1: of what US President Joe Biden said during a press
Speaker 1: conference shortly after Navalne's death.
Speaker 3: Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalane's death. What
Speaker 3: has happened in Navalne is yet more proof of Putin's brutality.
Speaker 3: No one should before.
Speaker 1: And a statement from the European Union said Navalney quote
Speaker 1: was slowly murdered by President Putin and his regime, who
Speaker 1: feel nothing more than dissent from their own people here
Speaker 1: in Australia, like I said Prime Minister Anthony Alberanzi also
Speaker 1: said Russia was responsible in no uncertain terms. He said
Speaker 1: it is an appalling atrocity and that Navalley's treatment is
Speaker 1: just beyond the pale, and we hold Vladimir Putin responsible
Speaker 1: for that.
Speaker 2: So, like I said, the conversation internationally can be as
Speaker 2: critical of Putin as it wants. We know that for
Speaker 2: Russian people in Russia that is not the same. So
Speaker 2: what do we know about how the people of Russia
Speaker 2: have responded to this. I saw some vision of some protests,
Speaker 2: some arrests.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's fair to say that people are
Speaker 1: really angry, and in a country like Russia, it's certainly
Speaker 1: not easy to express that anger without being reprimanded. But
Speaker 1: certainly they're not happy. So we've seen reports about police
Speaker 1: temporarily detaining hundreds of mourners and placing some in jail.
Speaker 1: I read a quote in a New York Times piece
Speaker 1: about the arrests, and it was from a Russian sociologist,
Speaker 1: Grigory Juden, who said, quote, grief is a collective action,
Speaker 1: and any collective action is by definition political. In Russia,
Speaker 1: if a collective activity is not ordered, it is basically prohibited.
Speaker 1: So because protests are effectively banned in Russia, these gatherings
Speaker 1: of mourners are being met by police action.
Speaker 2: I also saw some footage of what I assume a
Speaker 2: Russian authorities or local police with garbage bags going to
Speaker 2: these sort of pop up memorials, floral tributes and just
Speaker 2: packing them all away in garbage bags and you know,
Speaker 2: moving on with Then those sites quickly repopulated by other
Speaker 2: mourners with more tributes, so that cycle kind of just continues. Billy,
Speaker 2: what do we know about Russia's response to this? Has
Speaker 2: Putin said anything in regards to defending all this criticism,
Speaker 2: you know, with all eyes on Russia, the international community
Speaker 2: condemning what's happened, how have they responded.
Speaker 1: So at the time of recording, Putin himself has not
Speaker 1: said anything, which is perhaps not surprising. During Navalney's life,
Speaker 1: Pudin actually acknowledged his existence very little publicly. He didn't
Speaker 1: really say his name much at all. But we have
Speaker 1: heard a spokesperson for the Kremlin say that Pudin has
Speaker 1: been informed of Navalney's death, but there was no other
Speaker 1: information about how he died anything like that. He did say, though,
Speaker 1: that Russia's prison service is carrying out all the checks
Speaker 1: and procedures in accordance with all the existing rules.
Speaker 2: And like we said, there is an election in Russia
Speaker 2: this year, next month actually, So given that Putin's main
Speaker 2: opponent has died, what can we expect to happen there?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, there's not much else to say other
Speaker 1: than what we've said, that there's an election next month.
Speaker 1: Of course, the country is run by an authoritarian regime,
Speaker 1: like we've said, and elections are generally accepted as being undemocratic,
Speaker 1: and that basically means that Pudin, who has been president
Speaker 1: since twenty twelve and also between two thousand and two
Speaker 1: thousand and eight before that, he's almost certain to win.
Speaker 1: There really is no competition and here for I mean,
Speaker 1: I really should say when he does win, he will
Speaker 1: be in power until at least twenty thirty.
Speaker 2: Well, we will certainly be keeping an eye on this one.
Speaker 2: It doesn't look like these protests and arrests and memorials
Speaker 2: are going away anytime soon, so it'll be fascinating to
Speaker 2: watch how people in Russia on the ground respond, and
Speaker 2: of course as we learn more about what happened to Navalni,
Speaker 2: if his body is released, if his family are able
Speaker 2: to conduct an autopsy. If there's any closure for them there.
Speaker 2: We will keep you updated. Thank you so much for
Speaker 2: joining us on the Daily Ods. If you have two
Speaker 2: spare seconds today, we would really appreciate if you could
Speaker 2: share your thoughts with us on a pod survey. There's
Speaker 2: a link in the show notes. We just want to
Speaker 2: get an understanding of what it is you like about
Speaker 2: the Daily Ods. We can do better so we can
Speaker 2: keep bringing you quality content every day. Thanks for listening
Speaker 2: to today's episode. We will be back again tomorrow. Until then,
Speaker 2: have a good one.
Speaker 1: My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Speaker 1: Bungelung Calkatin woman from Gadigol Country. The Daily oz acknowledges
Speaker 1: that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the
Speaker 1: Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres
Speaker 1: Strait Island and nations. We pay our respects to the
Speaker 1: first peoples of these countries, both past and present.