“When the time is right, I will take part in the elections as a candidate,” Julija Navalná said without hesitation in an interview for the BBC. “My political opponent is Vladimir Putin. And I will do everything for his regime to fall as soon as possible.”
Navalná spoke again about her mission to continue the fight for democracy. In her words, she “took over the responsibility from her late husband”. The editor himself describes her in the interview as the exact successor of Alexei Navalny, who died this February at the age of 47 in a penal colony in Siberia.
Navalna lives in exile, faces arrest in Russia. Putin’s administration accused her of participating in extremism. According to her, the day when Putin’s era ends and Russia opens up again is inevitable. At the same time, she promised that when that day comes, she will be ready to run in the elections.
Julia Navalna
Navalná told the BBC that, like her late husband, she believes that there will be another chance to hold free and fair elections.
Navalny was one of the most famous critics of the Kremlin. Among other things, he served a 19-year sentence for extremism in Siberia. Russian authorities said he suddenly felt ill after returning from a walk. His family, the Russian opposition and the governments of Western countries are convinced that President Putin and his regime are involved in his death. The Kremlin denies involvement.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on video in prison June 22, 2023
Putin has ruled Russia since 2000 and thus secured five presidential mandates. He is supposed to be in office until 2030, after which he can run again according to the current rules. The vast majority of Western political scientists and politicians describe the Russian elections as undemocratic.
The interview with Navalna was published before the expected publication of her husband’s memoirs. Julija put them together in their final form after his death. The book will be published in 22 languages, including Russian. For Navalna, publishing the book is a way to bring hope to the struggling Russian opposition movement and to maintain her husband’s presence in the world.
“I want our country to be different,” she said. “I want to do it for all the people who are against this regime, and I want to do it for our children who want to live in Russia, and of course I want to do it for the memory of Alexei,” she said in an interview with The New York Times.
