Welcome to pushback. I'm Aaron Mate. In his first major foreign policy act as president,

Joe Biden renewed the New START treaty with Russia, the last remaining accord that limited

the nuclear armstock pilesiles of both countries.

But despite this opening act of diplomacy,

Biden has also sent signals that he will seek continued confrontation.

In his first speech on foreign policy,

Joe Biden called for confronting Russia

and singled out the case of the imprisoned anti-corruption activist

Alexei Navalny.

I made it clear to President Putin in a manner very different from my predecessor that the days

of the United States rolling over in the face of Russia's aggressive actions, interfering with our elections, cyber attacks,

poisoned citizens are over. We will not hesitate to raise the cost on Russia and defend our

vital interests and our people. Mr. Navalny, like all Russian citizens, is entitled to his

rights under the Russian Constitution.

He's been targeted, targeted for exposing corruption. He should be released immediately and without

condition. Nivalny was imprisoned just months after he survived a poisoning attempt that he is

blamed on the Russian government. And all this has

only bolstered Navalny's image in the West as the poster child of the Russian opposition.

But how do Russians actually feel about Navalny? Well, joining me now are two Russian writers and activists with different perspectives than we usually hear in the Western media about Navalny.

Kachya Kazbach is a writer translator and the editor-in-chief of Arts and Culture magazine Supamoto.com

and Alexei Socknan is a Russian activist and a member of the left front.

He was one of the leaders of the anti-Putin protest movement in 2011 to 2013.

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