Navalny's Widow to Run for President in Post-Putin Russia
Facts
- Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, stated in an interview with the BBC on Sunday that she intends to return to Russia and run for president once Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin leaves power.[1][2]
- She further expressed her desire to see Putin face trial and 'be held in the same conditions Alexei was kept in,' repeating what she told the Times in an interview published on Saturday.[3][4]
- Navalnaya also claimed to have evidence that the death of her husband at the Polar Wolf Arctic prison in February wasn't the result of a 'combination of diseases,' as Russian investigators reported.[5][6]
- In August, Navalnaya was sentenced to two months in absentia and faces immediate arrest upon a potential return to Russia as she has been added to an official 'terrorists and extremists' list.[7][8]
- Putin, 72, has been the leader of Russia since the last day of 1999. In May, he was sworn into another six-year term after winning the presidential election with more than 87% of the vote.[5][9]
Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]Novaya Gazeta Europe, [3]The Moscow Times, [4]The Times, [5]Reuters, [6]Pravda, [7]POLITICO, [8]Meduza and [9]TASS.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Time. It's certain that political leaders living in exile do face the risk of gradually losing touch with ordinary people in their home countries, but as things stand in Russia, Navalnaya is the best person to continue the work of her slain husband, unite the democratic opposition camp, and overthrow Putin once and for all.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by RT. Putin's historic win in this year's Russian presidential election showed that the whole nation stands united with its leader. This sends a strong message to the West and traitors such as Navalnaya that the Russian president will always have his people's full support, whether in war or peace. This smear campaign will never undermine Russian unity.