On Politics

Mon Feb 19 2024

Sudiksha Kochi | Congress, Campaigns and Democracy Reporter

@KochiSudiksha

Hey OnPolitics readers. Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, issued a fierce statement on Monday vowing to continue her husband's work.

Navalny was Russian President Vladimir Putin's most significant opponent in recent years. His wife's response comes as Navalny's family and political aides have demanded that Russia's authorities return his body from an Arctic prison, USA TODAY's Kim Hjelmgaard reported. Navalny's allies believe he was murdered on Putin's orders.

Navalny's work: Navalny's death robs Russia of its most high-profile Putin foe. He spent years in and out of Russia's jails. He also nearly died in 2020 when he was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.

What's next for political opposition in Russia? Russia has long had repressive laws that criminalize political dissent. However, that crackdown has hardened even further since Russia invaded Ukraine. It has led to the arrest of thousands of ordinary Russians for even questioning the war or expressing sympathy with Ukrainians.

What has Russia said about Navalny's death? The Kremlin has not formally disputed Navalnaya's claim that it had a hand in her husband's killing.

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