Despite danger to life

Navalny calls for the fight for a free Russia

Yulia Navalnaya at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

One year after the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, his widow has called on people to fight for a different Russia. "Let's do everything we can to make his dream come true," Navalny appealed to her husband's supporters.

"We know what we are fighting for: a future Russia that is free, peaceful and beautiful," said Yulia Navalnaya in her usual combative video message on Sunday. "What Alexei dreamed of is possible.

Everyone can do something, emphasized the widow of the late Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's most important opponent: "Demonstrate, write to political prisoners, change the opinion of those close to you, support each other." At the same time, she expressed her conviction that "good will prevail".

The Russian rapper and activist "Noize MC" contributed to the following song in memory of Navalny:

Navalny, who was classified as an "extremist" by the Russian authorities, had died on February 16, 2024 under unexplained circumstances in a penal camp in the Arctic, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence. His supporters and numerous Western politicians blame the Russian leadership for the opposition figure's death. Navalnaya plans to take part in a prayer and memorial service for her dead husband in Berlin on Sunday evening.

Hundreds made a pilgrimage to Navalny's grave in Moscow
Hundreds of people had previously visited Navalny's grave in Moscow. According to reports by AFP journalists, they came to the Borisovsky cemetery in Russia's capital on Sunday in small groups. Among them were families with children. Many mourners laid flowers at the grave. They came to the cemetery despite the risk of reprisals from the Russian authorities.

A huge queue can be seen in front of Navalny's grave in Moscow:

Meanwhile, the Russian judiciary continues to crack down on dissenters. Above all, the hundreds of political prisoners are intended to act as a deterrent and nip any spirit of resistance in the bud. The list of imprisoned opponents of President Vladimir Putin and his war of aggression against Ukraine is long.

Three of Navalny's lawyers were sentenced to long prison terms in January for defending Putin's opponent. And Navalny, who was only 47 years old on the day of his death on February 16, is not the only one to die in captivity. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization Memorial, which is banned in Moscow, lists 785 political prisoners.

How the Kremlin silences dissenters
Anyone who stylizes Navalny as a role model or supports his anti-corruption fund FBK risks many years behind bars for extremism. Navalny's political movement against the widespread culture of bribery and abuse of power is banned. And even after his death, the laws against dissidents in Russia continue to be tightened. His supporters working in exile, and not least his widow Yulia Navalnya, must also fear for their lives in the EU.

Shortly before the anniversary of Navalny's death, the Russian foreign intelligence service SWR publicly warned of possible attacks on representatives of the Russian opposition abroad. Putin's espionage apparatus claimed that the Ukrainian secret service was planning such acts and wanted to blame them on Russia. However, opposition figure Ilya Yashin, who was released in a prisoner exchange last year, makes it clear that this is more of an open threat typical of the Kremlin: no opponent of Putin should be able to feel safe - no matter where.

Many of Putin's opponents remain silent out of fear for their lives
The Kremlin has largely shut down critical media and the opposition. Opponents of the Kremlin abroad are also having a hard time, albeit in a different way. Many have been in exile for a long time, others have fled during the almost three years of the war against Ukraine. Opposition figures Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Mursa as well as Oleg Orlov from Memorial had to leave Russia against their will.