Russia: Voters Get Fired Up About Staying Home

Protests will return to Russia this Sunday. On Jan. 28, opposition figure Alexei Navalny will launch a multi-city series of demonstrations to call for a boycott of the presidential elections in March. Navalny, who has been barred from running, is urging voters to stay home even if they're planning on voting for an alternative to Russian President Vladimir Putin who, despite the expanding list of candidates running against him, is almost guaranteed a victory. But eighteen years after gaining power, Putin's hold over the country is growing tenuous. Russia is likely slipping back into a recession, its banking sector is going through a financial crisis, its regional governments are weakening, and dissatisfaction is growing among the country's rich and poor alike....