Alexei Navalny leads Russians in a historic battle against arbitrary rule By (0) Members of the local Russian community hold a demonstration in support of jailed opposition leader Alexi Navalny at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on February 6. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo Central to these well-organized protests is Russia's opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. His courageous actions and words have inspired demonstrators to believe that they can change Russia. Advertisement A normal country A lawyer, Navalny became a prominent regime critic a decade ago, when he created the Anti-Corruption Foundation and ran for mayor of Moscow. Funded by Russian donors, his national foundation collects stories of government corruption and produces YouTube videos that document, with drone footage, the secret luxury properties of government officials.