The Kremlin is hesitant about allowing Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to run for president in 2018. However, he might be seen as both a tool of attracting voters to the polling stations and a troublemaker.

Media roundup: The release of opposition activist Ildar Dadin and the investigation into Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s corruption schemes attracted a lot of attention from Russia's independent media, while state-owned outlets preferred to pass over these events or relegated them to the secondary agenda.

Russian media roundup: Putin’s visit to Japan, the extension of EU sanctions on Russia and Navalny’s announcement of a 2018 presidential bid all made headlines in the Russian media last week.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe. Photo: Kremlin.ru

Prominent opposition figure and anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny has announced he plans to run for the presidency, with criminal charges against him suspended. However, Russia’s experts are divided in their assessments of his chances in the 2018 presidential elections.

Russian media roundup: Last week, the arrest of top Russian top economic minister Alexei Ulyukaev, the overturning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s conviction and the first phone call between Trump and Putin all made headlines.

While members of the Russian liberal opposition will participate in this weekend’s Duma elections, there is very little chance that their parties will receive enough votes to gain any seats in the new parliament.

The scandal surrounding the family of Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika points to weaknesses in Russia’s current political system, which depends more on loyalty than on efficiency.

Controversy emerges after Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov got married over the weekend and Russia renews its bid for the Arctic.

Video by Pavel Gazdyuk

Putin spokesman's wedding and watch scandal

Russian Media Roundup: Last week, the Russian media focused on the resumption of fighting in Eastern Ukraine, new restrictions on opposition political parties within Russia and the meeting between President Putin and the Council of Elders.

Russian experts discuss the possibility of a nationwide wave of discontent caused by the current economic crisis. If the Russian protest movement does emerge, it would most likely be based around social and civic issues, not political issues.

Russian media roundup: The last week of 2014 saw the Russian media covering domestic issues – such as the sentencing of opposition figure Alexei Navalny and continued signs of economic distress – that could impact Russian foreign policy in 2015.

Moscow court has convicted Alexei Navalny of money laundering and fraud and has given him a suspended sentence of three years and six months.

Alexei (left) and Oleg Navalny. Photo: AP

Facebook has blocked access to a page rallying support for Russian opposition figurehead Alexei Navalny but says it will not be blocking access to any further similar pages. Anonymous sources at Facebook and Twitter say they are aware of the danger that their services are at risk of being subjected to a complete ban in Russia.

When the lines between “democrat” and “patriot,” “nationalist” and “separatist,” become hopelessly blurred by the post-Perestroika generation, you will get events like Bolotnaya, Maidan and Donetsk.

Harvard Professor Timothy Colton talks about Yeltsin, Navalny and Putin. Video By Pavel Inzhelevsky