Alexey Navalny

So, will Putin let him run?

It’s getting harder and harder to find people willing to protest against the Russian government — because the consequences of protesting can be so sever.

Vladimir Putin’s Russia took a hard line against protesters on Monday, just days after protesters brought down the president of neighboring Ukraine. A Russian judge sentenced anti-Putin demonstrators to as many as four years in prison, while special police arrested scores of protesters outside the courtroom.

In the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations, Russia’s intelligence agencies see a new opportunity to increase electronic surveillance of ordinary Russians. What’s odd is that Russians don’t seem to care.