‘It’s starting to get dark’: after Navalny’s death, many fear what Putin will do next

With Ukraine retreating and western sanctions having little impact, the Russian president is growing bolder and many are fearful of what he might do next

Vladimir Putin smiled and looked unusually festive on Thursday as he praised factory workers and joked with state reporters at an industrial plant in the Ural city of Chelyabinsk.

Putin’s confidence was unmistakable – a sign of his full belief that he would get away with the death of his biggest critic in jail while outlasting Ukraine on the battlefield.