Overnight, hundreds of flowers and candles placed in Moscow to honor opposition leader Alexei Navalny were removed. Russia’s prison service reported that Navalny, 47, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the “Polar Wolf” Arctic penal colony. A small number of roses and carnations were left at the monument to the victims of Soviet repression in central Moscow.
One man, Vladimir Nikitin, laid a carnation at the Solovetsky Stone and expressed his grief over Navalny’s death, emphasizing the dangers of speaking the truth. The West, including U.S. President Joe Biden, blamed President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s death, while Russian authorities viewed Navalny and his supporters as extremists with links to the CIA intelligence agency seeking to destabilize Russia.
Navalny’s death robs the Russian opposition of its most prominent leader as Putin prepares for an election that could keep him in power until at least 2030. More than 110 people were arrested across Russia at meetings and memorials to Navalny, according to the OVD-Info protest-monitoring group. Prior to his death, Navalny was serving prison sentences totaling more than 30 years on charges that he and his supporters claimed were politically motivated.
His wife, Yulia, blamed Putin for her husband’s death and urged the world to come together to defeat the “horrific regime” in Moscow and reclaim Russia. Some Russians dismissed this view and pointed to an opinion poll showing that most Russians disapproved of Navalny and that Putin was vastly more popular.
News of Navalny’s death comes as Ukraine withdraws from the south of the city of Avdiivka, paving the way for Russia’s biggest advance in the country since May 2023. Many young Russians in Moscow did not show any signs of sadness over Navalny’s death and expressed distrust towards the West.
On the bridge where opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead in 2015, flowers were also removed overnight, with a note remaining to commemorate the fallen leader. Policemen looked on as children made their way through the snow piled up in the shadow of Saint Basil’s Cathedral.
Source: The Star
