Yulia Navalnaya, a new Russian opposition politician who wants to avenge her husband’s death

Yulia Navalnaya has always discounted the idea that she could one day lead the Russian opposition. But everything changed this Monday when Alexei Navalny’s wife, who died last week in an Arctic prison, vowed to continue her husband’s fight. “I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny, I will continue to fight for our country,” Yulia said in a video published this Monday.

Navalnaya accused Putin of killing her husband and made it clear that she wanted revenge. The Kremlin says authorities had nothing to do with Navalny’s death. “I ask you to share my rage. My rage, my rage, my hatred for those who dared to kill our future,” the woman is quoted as saying Reuters.

Less than a month before Russia’s next presidential election, the 47-year-old mother of two says she will take on her husband’s role and follow in the footsteps of other activists, including widows, who are fighting against oppression in their countries after their husbands were arrested or killed by government opponents .

Path in politics

Until Monday, Yulia Navalnaya had stayed out of politics, emphasizing her role in supporting her husband Alexei Navalny. Although he always made it clear that he shared Alexei’s anti-Putin views, he limited his public appearances and statements to the defining moments of his life, advocating for his release and humane treatment before retiring from the public stage again.

But over the years, there have been several moments where the couple has shown the affection and love they have for each other. When Navalny was sentenced in August 2023 to an additional 19 years in prison on top of the 11 and a half years he had already served, he formed a heart with his hands while Yulia watched him in a glass cage in the courtroom. .

An economist by training and a former bank employee, Navalnaya has been by Alexei’s side all these years. She attended protests, attended court hearings, was detained several times and helped her husband recover from what Western doctors called a poisoning attempt in 2020.

Professional and family life

After graduating from the prestigious Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Yulia Navalnaya was born in Moscow. His father, Boris Ambrosimov, was a famous scientist.

She met her future husband while on vacation in Turkey in 1998, and two years later they got married and had a daughter, Daria, and a son, Zakhar. Both of them were members of the liberal Yabloko party.

Navalny’s legacy

Alexei Navalny rose to prominence in Russian politics more than a decade ago by documenting and satirizing what he said was the vast corruption and wealth of the “crooks and thieves” who ruled Putin’s Russia.

He was by far the most charismatic figure of the Russian opposition and, according to Reutersearned respect upon returning to Russia after poisoning in Siberia in 2020.

Despite the fact that it is very difficult and dangerous to continue Navalny’s fight, the woman seems ready to take on this role and avenge her husband’s death. “I know it seems like it’s no longer possible [continuar a luta]”, he said in the video. “But we need more. Gather into a strong fist and defeat this insane regime – Putin, his friends, bandits in uniform, thieves and murderers who have paralyzed our country,” he added.