Who wanted to kill Alexei Navalny?

From the first images, the tone is set: “You are not going to like this question, but if you are killed, what message do you want to leave to the Russian people? » asks Canadian director Daniel Roher in voiceover to Alexeï Navalny, seated facing the camera in what seems to be a deserted bar, plunged into darkness. “Stop Daniel, replies the Russian dissident with a bitter laugh. I can respond to all your questions. Mais this one, save it for another movie. We are going to make a thriller. The boring movie, you’ll do it later, when I’m dead. » Beautiful face, full of charm and self-mockery, Navalny bursts the screen.

This first scene is shot in 2020, in the German countryside, where the 44-year-old lawyer, in convalescence, is recovering from the assassination attempt of which he was the victim, in Siberia, several months earlier. His wife, Yulia Navalnaïa, and their two children are at his side. Despite the terrible threats hanging over him in his country, Navalny announces to the journalist that he is determined to return to Russia. On January 17, 2021, we board the plane with him, where he is acclaimed as a rock star… The film closes with his arrest, in a Moscow airport where his flight was hijacked, to counter the crowd of supporters who were waiting. It was before the war in Ukraine, the screed of lead had not yet completely fallen on the country. Charged for « fraud », “attack on the identity and rights of citizens” then again, in March 2022, for ” scam ” et “contempt of court”, he was eventually sentenced to nine years in prison. What happened ?

Lightning Poison

Let’s remember the facts. On August 20, 2020, Alexei Navalny, considered one of Putin’s main opponents, was struck down by an illness during a domestic flight between Tomsk (Western Siberia) and Moscow. After an emergency landing, he was hospitalized in serious condition and placed in a coma, under close police surveillance, before finally being evacuated to a hospital in Berlin, Germany. He was poisoned with Novichok, as confirmed by several laboratories of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This overwhelming poison, which is difficult to detect in the body, is considered the signature of the Russian secret services. Everything accuses the Kremlin, which obviously denies any involvement. Who tried to kill Navalny? And why did this assassination fail?

This is what this documentary will highlight, edited like a spy film. But here, reality goes beyond fiction. Common thread: the formidable investigation of Bellingcat. This collaborative investigative site based in the Netherlands has multiplied the scoops since its creation in Great Britain in 2014: crash of the commercial flight MH17 of Malaysia Airlines, where the journalists highlighted the responsibility of the pro-Russian separatists of Donbass; Skripal case, this former Soviet spy turned British agent, also poisoned in Novichok in March 2018. This is the site that revealed the identity of the GRU (Russian military intelligence) agents involved in the case. Bellingcat’s specialty is Osint: Open Source Intelligence Techniques. Fascinating. From meticulous research in databases, cross-referencing of information found online, cross-checked digital traces, Christo Grozev, head of investigations in Russia, contacted Navalny. He is convinced that he can identify those responsible and their sponsor. He has serious leads. Here, no informant, no privileged sources. Just information found online, within reach of a sharp geek, in a few clicks.

Trap on the phone

Doubtful at first, Navalny throws himself into the adventure. The viewer accompanies them step by step in this incredible investigation which will uncover a veritable spider’s web. From henchmen to the principal, the network clearly goes back to the Kremlin. The investigations are carried out in full transparency. This is one of the founding principles of Bellingcat: explain. Shedding light on gray areas, highlighting research methods, to put an end to any accusation of manipulation, and not to leave the field open to fake news. The Kremlin accuses Bellingcat of being linked to the CIA? Journalists open wide the doors of their digital field. All their information is there, within reach of the first Internet user. The investigation is relentless, until the climax, this anthology scene where Grozev and Navalny trap on the telephone one of the main executors whom they have identified in their investigation. Thinking he’s dealing with an FSB pundit, he unpacks everything, down to the smallest detail, explaining how the operation was set up, analyzing the failure… The director is there, the scene is filmed live.

Beyond the portrait of a courageous, charismatic, skillful opponent, keen on social networks, with his gray areas too (a little quickly evacuated, such as his proximity to Russian nationalist groups), this documentary sheds a harsh light, chilling, particularly illuminating on Putin’s Russia. It’s also a dizzying demonstration of the powers of journalism in the digital age. Some 18 million viewers followed live the Oscars ceremony last March, which crowned this exceptional work. “A card that will protect my father from death, prevent him from being killed in prison”her daughter Dasha told the « New York Times ». May she be right. Putin, who never utters Navalny’s name, dismissed the accusation with a threatening backhand. Unsurprisingly, the Kremlin spokesman denounced American propaganda. He also said he hadn’t seen the movie.

Sunday April 9 at 9 p.m. on Paris Première. Documentary by Daniel Roher (2022), 1h38 min.