Navalny stirs dissent in Siberia's icy land of diamonds and gas

In Russia's remote Sakha, old grievances fuel new worries for Putin and China alike

20210129 Protesters in Russia main

A protester is detained by police during a rally on Jan. 23 in Yakutsk, Russia, in -50 C weather. (Photo by Alexey Vasilyev)

DAVID SAVELIEV, Contributing writer

MOSCOW -- Russian protest leaders have all but conceded temporary defeat, calling off rallies following last week's sentencing of opposition head Alexei Navalny to two years and eight months in prison.

Thousands of kilometers away from Moscow and the global spotlight, however, the Navalny movement has highlighted simmering resentment that could one day boil over -- with implications not only for President Vladimir Putin but also Asian importers like China.

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