“Putin feels his impunity, so he believes that he can continue doing this,” she added, pointing to the Russian president as the key figure behind all of the actions taken against Navalny. “He is clearly scared of the Anti-Corruption Foundation and Alexei Navalny as his main opponent.”

Over the years, Navalny and his group have published video investigations into figures ranging from former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska exposing what they see as the corruption they believe is the primary feature of Vladimir Putin’s government. Navalny and his allies have also run for office and periodically rally people to street protests.

In addition to that work, the political movement since last year has made its primary goal an election strategy Navalny dubbed Smart Voting. The plan advises voters to cast their ballots for the candidates who have the best chance of unseating representatives of the ruling United Russia party in elections at all levels across the country.

All of this has put a target on Navalny’s back.