Enlarge image

Julija Navalnaya in the European Parliament: »17.

March at 12 p.m. «

Photo: Philipp von Ditfurth / dpa

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of long-time Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has called on Russians to protest in the upcoming presidential election in Russia.

“We have to use election day to show that we are here and there are many of us,” Navalnaya said in a video published on YouTube on Wednesday.

She spoke out in favor of a protest against Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, which was aimed at overloading the polling stations.

“We have to go to the polling station at the same time on the same day: March 17th at 12 p.m.,” demanded Navalnaya.

Voters could then vote “for any candidate except Putin.”

Or: »You can invalidate your ballot paper.

“You can write ‘Navalny’ in big letters,” Navalnaya said.

She called the upcoming election a “sham.”

It is obvious that Putin will achieve the result he wants.

“Lunch against Putin”

After her husband's sudden death in a prison camp in the Russian polar region, Navalnaya announced that she would continue the work of the well-known Kremlin critic.

Navalny had supported the protests during the presidential election, among other things, in one of his last messages from prison.

Organizers speak of a “lunch against Putin.”

Supporters hope they have found a legal and safe way to protest against the Kremlin.

Anti-government demonstrations are effectively illegal in Russia, and organizers and participants can be imprisoned for several years.

more on the subject

  • Funeral of the Kremlin critic: The undignified wrangling over Navalny's final rest By Ann-Dorit Boy

  • Alexej Navalny's legacy: As if there were no death by Christian Esch

Navalnaya said the images of thousands of people visiting her husband's grave filled her with hope.

She lives abroad with her two children and did not attend her husband's funeral for fear of possible arrest in Russia.

The expressions of solidarity prove that there is strong opposition to Putin in Russia.

“There are many of us and we are strong,” said Navalnaya.

According to Russian authorities, 47-year-old Navalny died on February 16 in a Russian prison camp in the Arctic, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence.

According to Russian information, Navalny died of “natural causes,” although the exact circumstances remain unclear.

His supporters and numerous Western politicians hold the Russian leadership and Putin personally responsible for the death of the opposition figure.

slü/AFP