Since June 1, even the radio in my cell has been turned off. I hardly see other people, and when I do, they are forbidden to speak to me. So when, in the “courtroom,” the lawyers asked me, “So, how did martial law go for you?” I thought it was some new joke or internet meme that hadn’t reached me yet. And when, a minute later, they were telling me about the seizure of Rostov, downed helicopters, and a military column moving toward Moscow to “kill that creature Shoigu,” while the masked court officers were listening too and nodding along, I kept waiting for someone to shout: “This is the prank show *Rozygyrsh* (a Russian hidden-camera prank show)!” But no one did. Instead, the prosecutor arrived, and we continued the trial in which I am accused of creating an organization to overthrow President Putin by force. And I listen to these accusations while looking at a photo of a checkpoint with a grenade launcher in Yasenevo. I listen and read about how Putin and the others fled Moscow. I listen and look at photos of a burning oil depot in Voronezh. I listen to claims that the ACF are extremists dangerous to the country, and read that one group of Russian troops is “taking up positions on the Oka River” to defend itself from another group of Russian troops. And I keep waiting, thinking maybe the prosecutor herself will finally laugh and shout: “It’s a prank — you should have seen your face, Navalny!” But she is completely serious. As for what happened, I understand as little as everyone else. But some things are clear: 1. There is no greater threat to Russia than Putin’s regime. It was not the West or the opposition that shot down Russian helicopters over Russia. It was not the ACF that brought Russia to the brink of civil war (and it’s not even certain we’ve stepped back from it). Putin did that personally. Let me remind you that he PERSONALLY pardoned all those convicts who were on their way to kill Shoigu and whoever else they wanted to kill. 2. Putin’s regime is so dangerous for the country that even its inevitable collapse creates the threat of civil war. Now we understand for certain: Putin’s pack of supporters is ready to start a war of all against all at any moment. That is why it is critically important for all of us to remember that any post-Putin transition must be tied to free elections. (Сontinues in the carousel) ------- 3. At the moment when literal military columns were on their way to seize Moscow, no one stood up to defend Putin, the nation did not unite around him. We do not know (yet) exactly how popular Prigozhin and his ideas are with the troops, but it is likely that Putin is even less popular there. At least in the fighting units. 4. The fact that Putin's war could ruin and disintegrate Russia is no longer a dramatic exclamation. 5. This is obvious, but nevertheless, it needs to be repeated over and over again. It is not democracy, human rights and parliamentarism that make the regime weak and lead to turmoil. It is dictators and usurpation of power that lead to mess, weak government and chaos. Always has been.