Yulia Navalnaïa, wife of Alexei Navalny, always acted as the main support of the Russian opponent. When her death was announced, she called for “punishment” from Vladimir Putin and Russian officials.
Published on: February 18, 2024 – 8:00 p.m
4 mins
It had been two years since Yulia Navalnaïa had seen her husband, Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, speaking in Munich on Friday, February 16, shortly after his death in prison was announced.
With tears in her eyes, the one who had shared her long and painful fight against the Kremlin took a deep breath. “If this is true, I want Putin, his entire staff, his entire entourage, his entire government, his friends to know that they will be punished for what they have done to our country, to my family and to my husband.” She said, her voice firm but full of emotion. “And that day will come very soon,” assured Yulia Navalnaïa, 47, her blonde hair tied in a tight bun as always.
Four days later, the wife of the Russian opponent will take part in a meeting of foreign ministers of the European Union on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced on Sunday.
“On Monday I will welcome Yulia Navalnaya to the EU Foreign Affairs Council. EU ministers will send a strong message of support to freedom fighters in Russia and honor the memory of Alexei Navalny. he wrote on the X network.
Unwavering support
With Alexei Navalny she experienced the hope of the large demonstrations he mobilized in Russia, the agony of a poisoning that he narrowly survived in 2020, and a return to Moscow a few months later, together and with his head held high. As soon as he landed he was arrested.
Also read: Alexei Navalny: A look back at the career of Vladimir Putin's number one opponent
Despite the 19-year prison sentence imposed on him and his terrible prison conditions, Yulia Navalnaïa remained hopeful. “I hope and believe that I will see Alexei free. Nothing is impossible when you're in love,” she told German daily Der Spiegel last year.
As his confrontation with the Kremlin became increasingly risky, the opponent said he was unable to do so without his wife. His last public message was a love letter for Valentine's Day: “I feel like you're with me every second.”
Yulia Navalnaïa chose for her first publication on social networks after the death of her husband a photo in which he kisses her on the forehead. In the caption: “I love you”.
Unlike Vladimir Putin, whose private life is a state secret, the couple emphasized everyday life as a family. And Yulia Navalnaïa has therefore become a public figure like her husband. His fame even led some of Alexei Navalny's supporters to dream of a political future for him even before he was behind bars.
So far, she has pushed that idea aside, describing herself primarily as a mother and companion. But many wonder who else could unite a decimated opposition, driven into exile and without a figurehead.
Strong woman
Her speech after announcing her husband's death cemented her image as a strong woman.
In 2020, Yulia Navalnaïa witnessed Alexei Navalny narrowly escape death when he was poisoned in Siberia by a “Novichok-like” substance, a powerful nerve agent, according to a European analysis.
She had managed to get him to leave Russia for Germany while he was in a coma, in the hands of local doctors who refused to allow him to leave. “Every moment we were there I thought, 'I have to get him out,'” she said, accusing doctors of delaying the process until he died or the neurotoxic product was no longer detectable.
Five months later she was just as imposing as the couple returned to Moscow, knowing full well that the trip would end in prison. “Boy, bring us some vodka, we're going home,” she said on the plane, which was filmed with Alexei Navalny, recreating a scene from a Russian cult film.
The couple were separated upon arrival at passport control. After a brief embrace with her husband, who was taken away by police and whom she would never see free again, she was greeted at the airport by a crowd chanting “Youlia!”
When Alexei Navalny got back on his feet after being poisoned in Germany, he joked that his wife's views were more radical than his own. “If you're not in politics, but you see the worst things being done against your family, then of course you become radicalized,” he explained.
When Alexei Navalny was in prison, Yulia Navalna assured that she would not follow in the footsteps of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who became the leader of the Belarusian opposition after her husband's imprisonment. But for political scientist Tatiana Stanovaïa, “Yulia Navalnaïa is becoming a political figure, whether she likes it or not.”
With AFP