Russia: Opposition in Disarray After a Mayoral Candidate's Withdrawal

On July 18, the day after he was registered as a candidate in the Moscow mayoral race, Russian opposition leader and blogger Alexei Navalny was found guilty of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison. Immediately following the verdict, Navalny posted on his Twitter page that he was withdrawing from the race and called on his followers to boycott the September election. Navalny's conviction and withdrawal from the race leaves the anti-Kremlin group in disarray. And while the great game continues between Russia and the United States, Washington may have just lost one of its key cards at a time when tensions between the two countries are rising.