Russian general wants duel with top activist
MOSCOW — Over the years, the Kremlin has reached deep into its bag of tricks to silence Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner and opposition leader. He has been repeatedly jailed, harassed by tax auditors and security agents, attacked with green dye and castigated by the state news media as a traitorous lackey of the West.
But this week, Viktor Zolotov, the longtime head of President Vladimir Putin’s personal security detail until taking over the Russian National Guard, took things one step further, releasing a video in which he essentially challenged Navalny to a duel.
“I simply challenge you to a fight — in the ring, on the tatami, whatever, and I promise to make nice, juicy mincemeat out of you in a few minutes,” said the speaker, Zolotov. “I promise you that before stepping over you and wiping my feet, I will put on a demonstrative show for all the members of the National Guard.”
Navalny could not respond to the challenge because he is currently serving a 30-day sentence for organizing an illegal rally, but his wife, Yulia, came to his defense.
“This is a threat from an insolent thug, who relishes his impunity,” Navalnaya wrote on Instagram. “I despise him as a thief and coward. He is a coward because he dressed up for his video like some general of a Latin American Junta.”
What seems to have gotten under Zolotov’s skin was an investigation that Navalny published last month accusing him of stealing millions in a scheme involving inflated food prices.
It was a little unclear what Zolotov meant by a duel. He did not seem to be proposing an event with dueling pistols at 20 paces but something more like ultimate fighting.
“No one ever gave you a kick in the ass so that you could feel it in your kidney,” Zolotov said at one point. “Now, you have turned to the right address.”
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, seemed to welcome the confrontation.
“Sometimes, you need to fight brazen slander by any means,” Peskov said.