Leonid Volkov explains what is happening to Navalny organisation after it was declared "extremist" - local branches will stop being "Navalny branches" and become 100% independent political organisations.
I think importance of this transition cannot be overstated - Navalny movement already holds on thousands of local activists, who are very close to the people and highlight issues such as infrastructure, roads, waste management, spatial planning etc.
https://tvrain.ru/teleshow/fishman_vechernee_shou/volkov-529229/
Decentralisation will give these activists a chance to become much more confident and build their own brands.
Russian society has a strong tendency towards cult of personality. which is exactly how Putin was born, and how Navalny had a strong chance to become another Putin (even if the didn't want to).
In a few years time Putin will not face a single Navalny, but thousands of political activists with their own names and with well-established local networks.
