EXPLAINER: How Russia has tried to stem pro-Navalny protests
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV MOSCOW (AP) — A prison sentence for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and a sweeping crackdown on protesters demanding his release reflect the Kremlin's steely determination to fend off threats to its political monopoly at any cost. Russia has seen mass protests before, of course — and it has used various tactics to confront them, ranging from offering concessions to violently