‘Putin’s state isn’t viable’ Navalny publishes post on third anniversary of return to Russia after poisoning
Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has written a post on the third anniversary of his return to Russia from Germany, where he was treated after being poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent.
In the message, he says both prisoners and prison authorities frequently ask him why he returned to Russia. Most who ask, Navalny says, think it’s part of some “clever plan.”
But there aren’t any secrets or schemes. It’s really that simple. I have my country and my convictions. And I don’t want to give up on either. I can’t betray either one. If your convictions mean anything, you must be ready to stand up for them. And, if necessary, make sacrifices [for them]. If you’re not ready [to do that], then you have no convictions. You just think you do. But those aren’t convictions or principles; they’re just thoughts in your head.
Navalny writes that when he took part in elections, he promised not to let down or abandon his voters. When he returned, he says, he fulfilled that promise because “in the end, there has to be someone in Russia who tells them the truth.”
It so happens that in today’s Russia, I have to pay for my right to have and to openly express my convictions by sitting in solitary confinement. And, of course, I don’t like being in prison. But I won’t renounce my convictions or my homeland. My convictions aren’t exotic, sectarian, or radical. On the contrary, everything I believe in is based on science and historical experience. Those in power must change. The best way to elect leaders is through honest and free elections. Everyone needs a fair court. Corruption destroys the state. There should be no censorship. The future lies with these principles.
According to Navalny, those currently in power are “sectarians and fringe elements” whose only goal is to keep their positions. He says they’ll claim to hold any belief, as long as it serves their interests.
[This system] will collapse and crumble. Putin’s state isn’t viable. One day, we’ll look at his place, and he won’t be there. Victory is inevitable. But for now, we must not give up and we must stick to our convictions.
People in Russia need us more than ever now. Help us to continue our work.
Alexey Navalny was treated at the Charité Clinic in Berlin after he was poisoned with Novichok in Russia. On January 17, 2021, he returned to Russia. His flight was initially scheduled to land at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, but it was diverted to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on approach. He was arrested at passport control.
In March 2022, a court sentenced Navalny to nine years in prison for fraud and contempt of court. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 19 years in a “special regime” prison colony, the category of correctional institution with the toughest conditions for inmates in Russia.