Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has vowed to continue her late husband’s fight against President Vladimir Putin despite being denied access to his body. In a video posted on a freshly instated Twitter account, she expressed her anger at the circumstances and called on all Russians to rally around her and share in her resolve. She arrived in Brussels to meet with the European Council, which is considering new sanctions in response to Mr. Navalny’s death in a Russian prison.
In her video, Ms. Navalnaya promised to continue her husband’s activism and stated her determination to fight for their country before calling attention to the fact that both his lawyers and his mother were denied the ability to claim, or even see, his body. The news was met with disbelief by Ms. Navalnaya and Alexei’s spokesperson, Kyra Yarmysh, who was vocal in accusing the Russian authorities of a cover-up.
Despite the Kremlin insisting that an investigation into the cause of Mr. Navalny’s death is ongoing, his supporters consider his death as a politically motivated assassination and a form of retaliation for his anti-corruption activism and strident critique of the regime.
According to the Russian authorities, Mr. Navalny felt unwell and lost consciousness after a walk; he was unable to be resuscitated by medical personnel. His supporters reject this explanation and suspect foul play, pointing to the fact that he had previously been poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent that he blamed on President Putin.
Mr. Navalny’s widow is determined to continue his fight despite the challenges she and her family face. She has received broad international support and was welcomed to Brussels by the European Council, which is considering further sanctions against Russia following Mr. Navalny’s death. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has denied any involvement in Mr. Navalny’s sudden demise and condemned the accusations against them as “unacceptable and premature.”