Views on what the future might hold at a pivotal moment for the country’s fractured pro-democracy movement
Western leaders have held Vladimir Putin responsible for Alexei Navalny’s death in prison, where he had been sentenced to 19 years under a “special regime”.
Navalny’s death – a pivotal moment for the country’s fractured pro-democracy movement – sent waves of anger and despair through the ranks of his supporters in Russia and abroad.
Six Russians share their reaction and what they believe his death will mean for Russia’s future.‘My friends and I are devastated’
My friends and I are devastated: we lost someone who played a crucial part in our lives.
Navalny’s positive energy always gave me hope that everything would be OK. Rationally, I understood that it would be tough for him to be freed [from prison]. But, emotionally, I never doubted he would be free.
We’re all chatting together to support each other. He was our hero who united the opposition. Navalny gave us a Russian dream, that maybe in a decade we’d live in a free Russia.
There is still opposition. Although it’s very difficult, there are still people who support Ukraine and want peace negotiations. We love our country and want the best for it.
Nikolai*, 22, student in Moscow‘Navalny chose to become a symbolic figure of resistance’
I’ve never been a supporter of Navalny as a politician – he is too on the right of the political spectrum and I’m on the left. However, I respect him as a man of courage. Having survived an assassination attempt, he could have stayed safe in the EU, but he returned to Russia. Certainly, he knew what he was heading into. But he returned, following his principles.
Navalny never was a real political competitor. He had a good base among urban middle classes, mainly limited to Moscow and somewhat in St Petersburg. But outside Moscow, Russia is very different – pro-western liberalism just doesn’t sell. Putin understands that very well. Even with free elections he [Navalny] wouldn’t have become leader. We all know what happens to Putin’s critics; I suppose it seemed inevitable.
By returning to Russia, Navalny chose to become a symbolic figure of resistance, and will go down in history as someone who died for his political stance.
