Strasbourg 28.02.2024 Today the widow of the assassinated Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny, Yulia, addressed the European Parliament.

On the occasion the president of the Europarliament Roberta Metsola said “…For many in Russia and outside, Alexei Navalny represented hope. Hope for better days. Hope for a free Russia. Hope for the future.” Further the president stressed that if “history teaches us anything, it is that the pillars of autocracy, in the end, always, always crumble under the weight of their own corruption and people’s inherent desire to live freely. And when they inevitably do, it will be thanks to what Alexei and your family did”.

In her emotional and sincere speech, Yulia Navalnaya accused Russian authorities, led by Vladimir Putin, of having orchestrated her husband’s murder. “Putin is capable of anything and that you cannot negotiate with him”, she said. Yulia also expressed concern that none of the EU’s current restrictive measures have influenced Russia’s halt attacks on Ukraine. Further she called for more innovative ideas to defeat Putin’s regime, both domestically and abroad.

“If you really want to defeat Putin, you have to become an innovator (…) You can’t hurt Putin with another resolution or another set of sanctions that is no different from the previous ones (…) You aren’t dealing with a politician but with a bloody mobster (…) The most important thing is the people close to Putin, his friends, associates, and keepers of the mafia’s money (…) You, and all of us, must fight this criminal gang.”

Yulia Navalny continued by saying that, in this case, being politically innovative means fighting organised crime, not political competition.

“No diplomatic notes, but investigations into the financial machinations. Not statements of concern, but a search for mafia associates in your countries, for the discreet lawyers and financiers who are helping Putin and his friends to hide money”.

She also underlined that “in this fight you have reliable allies – there are tens of millions of Russians who are against Putin, against the war, against the evil he brings”, before concluding:

“Putin must answer for what he has done to my country. Putin must answer for what he has done to a neighbouring peaceful country. And Putin must answer for everything he has done to Alexei”.

Following her address, representatives of the Parliament’s political groups also took floor to debate the consequences of Navalny assassination.

Before his death in prison on 16 February 2024, Alexei Navalny was one of Russia’s most famous oppositional voices, known for his work in exposing corruption, as well as an fearless critic of Vladimir Putin. The exact circumstances of his death in a remote Arctic prison remain unknown. His colleagues, and friends launched a call for witnesses to step forward to reveal the events leading to his dramatic and untimely passing away. Alexei Navalny was awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2021.