Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian dissident Aleksei Navalny, has released a video calling on Russians to “use the elections against Vladimir Putin.”
“We must use Election Day to show that we exist and that there are many of us who are against it,” the president said. “It is necessary to go to the polling station at 12 p.m. on the same day and at the same time on March 17, the last day of the presidential elections (which will take place from March 15 to 17).
The dissident had already supported the “Southern Italy against Putin” initiative before he died in the Arctic prison where he was imprisoned for political reasons.
“At this point the choice is yours: you can vote for any candidate except Putin; You can ruin the ballot by canceling it. But you can also write “Navalny” in large letters. You can just show up and stand at the polling station. and then turn around and go home.
In this way, Navalnaya said, “Putin will not be seen as a legitimate president, neither for us nor for the world.”
After her husband's death, Navalnaya announced that she wanted to take up his baton and continue the fight: “Vladimir Putin killed my husband, and when he killed Alexei, he killed half of me, half of my heart, half of mine. ” Soul. But I still have the other half and that shows me that I have no right to give up. I will continue the work of Aleksei Navalny, I will continue to fight for our country.”
In her video today, Navalnaya said she drew hope from the large crowd that attended her husband's funeral last week.
Biden's invitation and Navalnaya's (and Zelenska's) no
As the Washington Post reported, Navalnaya declined US President Joe Biden's invitation to attend the next State of the Union address. Her spokeswoman cited fatigue as the reason: “Julia was invited and considered leaving, but I think everyone forgets the circumstances in which the events took place,” she said. “Yulia’s husband died two weeks ago. She was traveling all the time. Today is the first day she is back home. Like any human being, he needs time to recover, and although he greatly appreciates the invitation, he needs to recover at least a little now.
Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska also declined Biden's invitation. According to the Washington Post, her no may have been related to the discomfort caused by Navalnaya's possible presence. In Ukraine, Navalny's legacy is tarnished by his previous statements that Crimea, annexed by Putin in 2014, belongs to Russia.
According to the US newspaper, Biden wanted the two women to sit next to each other in the congress hall: both were a symbol of resistance against Vladimir Putin. A White House spokesman said Zelensky's withdrawal was due to “issues with the agenda.”