“Your husband is dead.”
On Feb. 16, this became Yulia Navalnaya’s reality.
No kindhearted spouse wants their husband dead. But for Navalnaya, it was clear that somebody wanted her husband dead. That somebody happens to be the most powerful man in Russia.
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In a devastating blow to democracy activists worldwide, Alexei Navalny died unexpectedly in a Siberian prison. Navalny, an anti-corruption activist, frequently spoke out against Russian president Vladimir Putin and fought for a democratic Russia.
As reported by NPR, Navalny attempted to run against Putin in Russia’s presidential election in 2018. However, the Russian Election Commission denied his registration. Russia and other authoritarian countries usually do this to curb opposition and keep dictators in power.
Politically motivated violence is also a tactic used to achieve these goals. The Los Angeles Times reported that on numerous occasions, unknown individuals attacked Navalny by splashing him with zelyonka.
Zelyonka, which translates to “brilliant green,” is a dye that is immensely difficult to scrub out of skin. Attackers use it as a humiliation tactic, which also places a noticeable target on the victim that paves the way for further violence.
While zelyonka is harmless by itself, Navalny was splashed again on April 27, 2017. This time, chemicals were mixed into the dye, which resulted in him losing most of the vision in his right eye. His doctors later determined the damage was reversible.
These zelyonka attacks only served as a hint of what was to come. Just three years later, a tampered cup of tea would leave Navalny fighting for his life.
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Al Jazeera reported that on Aug. 20, 2020, Navalny became violently ill on a flight. After the plane undertook an emergency landing, he was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Claims of poisoning surfaced almost immediately after Navalny’s hospitalization. However, the hospital’s doctors dismissed these claims, citing negative test results. The doctors also refused Navalnaya’s entry into her husband’s hospital room as he fell into a coma.
Two days after his sudden sickness, Navalny was flown to Berlin, Germany. This came after initial refusals to transport him to a different hospital. The same day, German doctors confirmed that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent.
On Sept. 7, Navalny made great progress and emerged from his coma. A little over a week later, on Sept. 15, doctors reported that he could breathe on his own.
In what could be described as a medical miracle, Navalny was discharged from the hospital on Sept. 22. This came after over a month in the hospital after his poisoning.
After nearly dying, Navalny knew that returning to Russia would be dangerous, as he could face arrest or further attempts on his life. On Jan. 13, 2021, he announced his desire to go back to his home country.
Four days later, Navalny was arrested upon landing in Russia. Nobody, not even Navalny, knew that those last moments before his arrest would be his final as a free man.
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Al Jazeera reported that Navalny was jailed for two and a half years on Feb. 2, having been charged with parole violations. After serving one year of his sentence, he was hit with nine more years in prison on March 22, 2022.
The additional charges slapped onto Navalny’s sentence were embezzlement and contempt of court. Many believed these charges were falsified to try to keep him out of the political sphere. The worst charges were yet to come. On Aug. 4, 2023, Navalny was slammed with extremism and terrorism charges despite no evidence of these crimes. He was sentenced to an additional 19 years in prison.
Navalny would remain in prison for decades. This was catastrophic to the Russian democratic movement, as Putin’s most prominent opponent was silenced for the near future.
As it turned out, Navalny’s end was near. Four months later, on Dec. 11, Navalny disappeared from prison. His team members feared for the worst, as they had been unable to reach him. However, on Christmas Day, Navalny was found alive in a penal colony near the Arctic circle. The joy of locating Navalny would be short-lived. On Feb. 15, 2024, he made his last appearance via video from a court hearing. The very next day, Navalny was dead.
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According to prison authorities, Navalny collapsed while on a walk and was pronounced dead despite measures taken to revive him. ABC News reported that, contrary to widespread suspicions, his death was ruled as natural.
The Guardian reported that Russian authorities originally refused to return Navalny’s body to his family, with pressure placed upon them to have a secret funeral. Despite the immense pressure, there was a public funeral. Navalny’s funeral was packed with protestors against Putin’s government.
Even while experiencing immeasurable grief, Navalnaya declared that she would continue her late husband’s work. In a bold decision, she accused Putin of orchestrating Navalny’s death.
As reported by Reuters, Navalnaya called for protests on March 17, which her husband had backed before his death. Russia’s presidential election, scheduled for March 15 through 17, was thought to be fixed in Putin’s favor.
The protests, dubbed “Noon Against Putin,” fought against the sham election. Sure enough, widespread protests occurred on March 17, with voters spoiling ballots, writing in Navalny’s name, or voting for opposition candidates.
By the time all the votes were counted, Putin was declared the winner of the election with over 87% of the vote. The election was determined to be rampant with fraud. Despite the protests and backlash, Putin successfully secured another six-year term as president.
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Navalny was not the first person supposedly assassinated by Putin and his government. Russia and the former Soviet Union have a history of violently cracking down on individuals who go against the government.
Even those closest to Putin are at risk. As reported by ABC News, Yevgeny Prigozhin was the leader of the Wagner Group, a Russia-funded military organization. Prigozhin was formerly one of Putin’s closest confidantes.
However, Prigozhin disagreed with Putin regarding his approach to the Russo-Ukrainian War. As a result, Prigozhin instigated the full-scale Wagner Group rebellion against Putin’s military in June 2023.
Russian authorities quickly quashed the rebellion, which turned out to be a costly mistake for Prigozhin. On Aug. 23, 2023, Prigozhin’s plane crashed, killing him and everyone else on board. American officials discovered that a bomb was placed on Prigozhin’s plane, which downed it upon explosion. Putin was blamed for ordering Prigozhin’s death.
Navalny and Prigozhin are one of many individuals who were thought to have been killed under Putin’s orders. Ever since the Russo-Ukrainian War, several Russian figures have died under suspicious circumstances.
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Todd Culp, a history and political science instructor at MCC, believes that Putin played a role in Navalny’s death.
“There’s no way to prove this, but given Putin’s track record on dealing with dissent, I believe it is likely,” Culp said. “Clearly, Putin is trying to put down the opposition, but the more brutal he becomes, the more pressure there will be on him.”
Culp stated that it is difficult to determine how Navalny’s death will impact the Russian opposition. With the Russo-Ukrainian War raging on, things do not look good for Putin and his government.
“In situations like this, sooner or later, there’s a breaking point. I can’t tell you exactly where that is,” Culp said. “I’ve studied enough dictators to know that there’s a pattern here.”
With Navalny gone and Putin still in power, Russia’s democratic future remains uncertain. Only time will tell what the future holds for Russia and its opposition movement. However, Navalnaya’s vow to keep her husband’s dream of a democratic Russia alive remains a beacon of hope. Navalny was a martyr for a cause that he believed in and for which he was willing to sacrifice himself. While the circumstances surrounding his death may never be revealed, Navalny will continue to serve as the face of the Russian opposition and an inspirational figure to those who dream of democracy.
