Bitter Infighting Divides Russian Opposition

It was the largest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War, with a Russian assassin and seven others returned to Moscow in August in exchange for 16 prisoners who had run afoul of President Vladimir V. Putin.

Among those released by Russia were four political prisoners and three people with ties to the country’s most prominent opposition figure, Aleksei A. Navalny, who died in prison in February. The deal seemed poised to breathe new life into a fractured movement that had struggled to exert influence in the aftermath of Mr. Navalny’s death.

But three months later, there are signs that the Russian opposition movement has never been more divided — or faced as steep a challenge in working to counteract Mr. Putin.

Infighting and accusations among competing anti-Putin groups threaten not only its political and financial viability, but also the legacy that Mr. Navalny worked hard to leave behind.

On Sunday, legions of those opposed to the Kremlin’s rule are expected to march in Berlin in the first big anti-Putin protests since the activists were released in August — a rally intended as a strong show of unity.

The election this month of Donald J. Trump to a second term as the U.S. president has further complicated the effort. Mr. Trump in the past has expressed admiration for Mr. Putin and suggested that he would end American support to Ukraine in its war against Russia. If Mr. Trump takes a benevolent stance toward Russia, it could further insulate Mr. Putin from criticism.