A year after the death of Navalny, risky tributes planned in Russia

A year after the death in prison of the main opponent of the Kremlin, Alexei Navalny, his supporters must organize commemorations on Sunday by going to his tomb in Moscow, despite the risk of reprisals by the authorities.

These tributes take place at a time when the Russian opposition, beheaded by the loss of its figurehead and torn by the internal struggles, is in a position of unprecedented weakness.

Exiled in several countries abroad, his leaders struggle to relaunch the flame of combat against Vladimir Putin, especially in Russia where any criticism of power is severely repressed.

Charismatic militant anti -corruption and number one political enemy of Vladimir Putin, Mr. Navalny had been declared “Extremist” by Russian justice.

Evoke in public the opponent or its organization, the fund for the fight against corruption (FBK), without specifying that they were decreed “Extremists”exposes offenders to heavy sanctions.

This threat remains in force despite his death in troubled circumstances in an Arctic prison on February 16, 2024 and despite exile outside Russia of almost all of his collaborators.

According to the former opponent’s right-hand, Léonid Volkov, “Alexei supporters will organize commemorative events around the world”.

In some places, there will be gatherings or steps, in others projections of a documentary dedicated to it. Elsewhere again, simple ceremonies, he said on Telegram.

The widow of Mr. Navalny, Ioulia Navalnaïa, who has taken over the reins of her movement, must participate in an event in Berlin, where many supporters of the Russian opposition live.

« Big Brother »

“Wherever you are, in Russia or abroad, we very much hope that you will meet people sharing the same ideas on February 16”wrote Mr. Volkov, giving the opening hours of the Borissovskoïé cemetery of Moscow, where Mr. Navalny is buried.

Telegram channels favorable to the Kremlin have warned the supporters of the deceased opposing, their not advisable to go to the cemetery.

“We give a brief advice to those who intend to go there but are not yet sure: do not go!” »»can we read in a message shared by the journalist supporter of the Kremlin Dmitri Smirnov and other channels.

The message mentions “Big Brother and his always vigilant eye”with the photograph of a panel indicating the presence of a surveillance camera at the gates of the cemetery.

The Russian authorities have methodically dismantled the Alexei Navalny movement, sending several of his supporters, and opposing him himself, in prison.

Four journalists are currently tried in Russia to “Participation in an extremist group”accused of having made images for the team of Alexei Navalny.

In January, three of the lawyers who defended the opponent were sentenced to sentences ranging from three and a half to five years in prison for having transmitted his messages while he was in detention

Weakened opposition

The death of Alexei Navalny at the age of 47 has still not been fully explained. The Russian authorities claim that it occurred while he was walking in the prison court.

He was arrested in January 2021, on his return to Russia after a recovery in Germany following poisoning of which he had attributed responsibility to the Kremlin, which for his part rejected this accusation.

In December 2023, he was transferred to an isolated penitentiary colony beyond the Arctic Circle in order to serve a sentence of 19 years in prison to “Extremism”.

Suppressed in Russia, the Russian opposition is trying to relaunch abroad, so far without much success.

Ioulia Navalnaïa and two other major opponents organized a march in Berlin in November against the Russian president and the offensive in Ukraine, bringing together around 2,000 Russian exiles.

Beyond the slogans, the opposition struggles to propose a concrete approach to lead to the end of the war and to the departure of Vladimir Putin. Several scandals within it also weakened it and caused the frustration of part of its activists.

In Russia, repression has thrown hundreds of people in prison and thousands of others were sanctioned or threatened due to their opposition to power or conflict in Ukraine.