Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is calling for an anti-Putin protest during the upcoming Russian presidential election, in which her late husband had wanted to participate.
Navalnaya also asked all opponents of Putin to crowd voting stations on the last day of voting, scheduled for March 17th. Putin is slanted to take the victory easily, which according to critics is due to his administration manipulating the electoral system and essentially brainwashing the populace by censoring negative press. Defenders of Putin, of course, say his popularity is due to his political savvy and claim that his critics are merely acting on behalf of Western imperialism.
Navalny's widow calls for Russia election day gatherings on March 17 to show dismay with Putin https://t.co/ly6usYWX2b
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 6, 2024
On a post to social media platform X, Navalnaya said the protest “will help millions of people see like-minded people and realize that we are not alone, we are surrounded by people who are also against war, against corruption and against lawlessness.”
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“We need to use election day to show that we exist and there are many of us, we are actual, living, real people and we are against Putin,” she went on. “What to do next is up to you. You can vote for any candidate except Putin. You could ruin your ballot.”
This is the fifth time Putin is running for President, and will potentially extend his term until 2030. Putin modified the Russian constitution so that he could run for two more terms after his 24 years in office. The Associated Press claims every relevant opponent who could pose a challenge to his reelection has been jailed or exiled. While there are other candidates on the ballot, AP calls them “token opposition,” incapable of posing a real threat.
As Valuetainment previously reported, Navalny reportedly collapsed during a walk at the remote Arctic penal colony where he was serving out a 19-year sentence for “extremism” stemming from his criticism of the Kremlin. Following news of Navalny’s death, the Putin administration denied responsibility and attributed his sudden passing to natural causes. However, Navalnaya, the United States government, and the international press remain suspicious of foul play given previous assassination attempts traced back to the Kremlin.
In fact, Navalnaya directly accused Putin of killing her husband, and promised international audiences that “we” will “tell you about it soon.” She continued: “We will definitely find out who exactly carried out this crime and how exactly. We will name the names and show the faces.”
It is unconfirmed who is backing Navalnaya in terms of both supplying information and protection, but it is clear the United States government shares her view that Putin had her husband killed. In the wake of Alexei’s death, the Biden administration placed over 500 sanctions on Russia, calling Navalny a “courageous anti-corruption activist and Putin’s fiercest opposition leader.” The White House also cited the ongoing war in Ukraine as a reason for the sanctions. Many, including the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, are calling for Biden to forcibly seize the $300 billion worth of assets Russia has in Western banks, a move the Biden White House has previously endorsed but has not aggressively pursued.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
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