Imprisoned Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny (AP/File)

I joined Times Radio’s Rosie Wright on Tuesday to analyze the latest stories in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s trip to Washington to the “disappearance” of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, serving a prison sentence of more than 30 years.

I begin with the wider context for Zelenskiy’s talks in the US as Republicans hold up further American aid to support Ukraine’s resistance.

In the first weeks of the invasion, Vladimir Putin failed. He failed to capture Kyiv, to topple the Zelenskiy Government, and conquer Ukraine.

Then he tried the “food war”, blockading Ukraine’s ports. Failed.

Then he tried to break Ukraine with the “energy war”, knocking out electricity. Failed.

Then Ukraine regained parts of the east and the south through 2022 and 2023. In many ways, this is a historic victory just by Ukraine surviving, But NATO and the European Union have also been galvanized.

And on Navalny’s disappearance:

Why now? Two words: Presidential elections.

It’s going to be a staged process but Vladimir Putin doesn’t want anything to disrupt that — and Alexei Navalny is a disruptor.

They have sentenced him. They have put him in solitary confinement. But he keeps getting messages out.

The only way they can break Navalny is make him disappear.