If there is any political life in Russia today, its driver is Alexei Navalny. Hundreds of thousands of people, putting themselves at risk of being beaten by police officers or at the very least losing their jobs, go to the icy streets to support his manifestations. "I am not afraid and you should not be afraid." By the way, desperate courage is generally the highlight of the politician's programme; which confuses even his loyal followers, as there is not much explicit sense in such heroism, as they say.

But even from prison, he has written a post, which inspired the band Elysium to write a song which goes with these words:

Hello, this is Navalny speaking

There is no other life I am seeking.

Another group of citizens expresses their sympathy in other ways since Russia has been actively developing institutions of civil mutual aid in recent years. People are learning to take care of themselves: collectively, they gather parcels to be sent to special detention centres, transport political prisoners back home with their personal vehicles and send donations en masse. There are those who just silently observe. Some don't understand and condemn. But almost all are unanimous in the opinion that there should be many figures like Navalny in politics, and that the authorities must fight Alexei by legitimate means - during elections.

However, the Kremlin administration already had that experience and viewed it as a mistake that should not be repeated. In the 2013 Moscow mayoral elections, even according to official data, almost a third of Moscow residents voted for Navalny (with a turnout of 32%). In the city of millions, the politician became the second most popular mayor, after (still serving), Sobyanin. Over the past eight years, his popularity has grown, because Navalny's headquarters operate all over the country. After the recent poisoning of a prominent public figure, followed by his imprisonment, Navalny has become the official global newsmaker. Recently, heads of state have not only been following his story but, like Angela Merkel, have been in personal contact with the Opposition leader. EU leaders openly call for Navalny's release.

It is possible that with such external and internal support, the politician has every chance of becoming president of Russia. What could this mean for Malta? Navalny has not yet had the chance to speak directly on the relations between the two countries, but we can conclude from his statements and agenda that three main points of intersection emerge: the citizenship investment programme, tourism and international interests.

Passports-wise, the Maltese should expect an incredible increase in demand. Those law enforcers, officials, representatives of the judicial system, even journalists-propagandists who, in the opinion of the oppositionist, have abused their power should be subjected to lustration. Presumably, some officials who have money but unable to buy foreign citizenship today (due to the fear of public condemnation) will be glad to become free. Others will apply to avoid conviction or criminal prosecution. In any case, the demand would be incredibly high at first, but over the years, we would expect a big drop in interest and a change in the contingent. Most likely, people who really want to live in Europe or who want to travel without visas would start to be interested in EU passports. Although, it is quite possible that by then the visa regime would have been greatly eased.

The profile of people entering Malta as tourists could also change significantly. And the flow would increase noticeably (for better or worse). The fact is that many Russians cannot afford a vacation in Malta now because it is too expensive for them. Assuming that social inequality will be leveled, as the politician promises, then Malta will receive a great share of middle-class tourists, including pensioners and students. Real middle-class people are not numerous in today's Russia. As for youths, young people would be more willing to spend the whole year learning and practising English. After all, young Russians say that investing in a language will bring benefits at work. In this regard, a lot depends on politics as well, because the current trend is to learn Chinese.

And finally, relations at international level. If Navalny will be in charge of making decisions, Russia will focus on its economy and moderate its foreign policy ambitions, as he has often claimed. As for the global forecast of rapprochement between Malta and Russia, it would not be risky to assume that relations between the two countries will be friendly.

Despite Alexei Navalny is called an ex-nationalist, he makes no secret of the fact that his policy will be aimed at establishing partner relations with the EU. Which his opponents take advantage of, appealing to a population with a Soviet mentality: if he does not oppose us to Europe and the United States, then he is not a patriot, and probably is a spy. In spite of the country's history, turning this kind of rhetoric into a national idea or political programme is challenging today. Even those Russians, en masse, who do not yet have the opportunity to experience the Mediterranean Sea and walk the streets of Valletta, are looking for friends, not enemies.

In any case, if you open the Russian Wikipedia on the page "Russian-Maltese relations", the most recent addition is this: "relations between the two countries are tending to become worse, following Malta's refusal to grant permission for two Russian planes (carrying cargo and passengers to Venezuela) to overflight the country in April 2019". That is, there is certainly much room for improvement.