In the days following the death of her husband, Alexei, Yulia Navalnaya, who had previously downplayed the idea of leading Russia’s opposition, expressed her commitment to continuing his fight in a video released on Monday. At 47 years old and a mother of two, Navalnaya alternated between anger and grief as she spoke about taking on a leadership role in the opposition.
Navalnaya would be following in the footsteps of other activist widows from around the world, such as Coretta Scott King and Corazon Aquino, should she choose to step into her husband’s role.
Multiple pro-Kremlin social media accounts have begun to spread falsified information about Navalnaya, indicating that some forces see her as a possible threat.
In her video, Navalnaya accused Putin of murdering her husband and expressed her desire for revenge, despite the Kremlin’s denial of involvement in Navalny’s death.
Following her video statement, which also called for opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Navalnaya received over 1.5 million views and nearly 50,000 comments within three hours, gaining significant traction on social media.
Unlike her husband, Navalnaya has not announced plans to return to Russia, potentially impacting her political relevance since staying abroad could result in her being seen as a foreign puppet by Moscow. Navalnaya had previously focused on supporting her husband, limiting her public presence and statements to advocate for his release and humane treatment.
Her strong feelings for her husband were evident as she stood by him throughout his legal battles, detentions, and recovery from a poisoning attempt in 2020. Navalnaya herself is an economist and a former bank employee, with a notable scientist as her father. She and Navalny were once members of the liberal Yabloko party, and she has met with foreign leaders in the wake of her husband’s death.
Moscow is closely monitoring Navalnaya’s activities, with former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov accusing Western intelligence services of attempting to turn her into a symbol while predicting that she will be forgotten over time. Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of R.Politik analysis firm, sees Navalnaya’s statement as a bid for an independent political role, but also acknowledges potential challenges ahead.
(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Peter Graff)
