Alexey Navalny will debate the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson tomorrow

Russian state officials do not typically acknowledge individual anti-Kremlin oppositionists (let alone share the spotlight with them) but Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, has challenged opposition politician Alexey Navalny to a debate. And he has accepted.

“Comrade Navalny, have you run out of oligarchs? Well, what do you say? Are you ready, Mr. Navalny, for a discussion? Not in the courts, where you can hide behind verbiage and attorneys. What about online?” Zakharova wrote on Facebook, adding, “But he's chicken.” A few minutes later, Navalny responded, “Any time.”

Zakharova later revealed that their one-on-one will take place on Friday, May 1. The exact time and any other details remain unknown.

• On an April 30 evening broadcast of his YouTube show “Navalny Live,” Alexey Navalny criticized Maria Zakharova for an interview she gave to journalist Mikhail Zygar where the Foreign Ministry spokesperson faulted Russian tourists who found themselves stranded abroad when international flights were canceled in connection with the coronavirus pandemic.