She took over the opposition flag from her deceased husband: Who is Yulia Navalnaya?

Who is Yulia Navalnaya, who was in and out of prison countless times, was tortured with nerve gases, and promised to complete the work left behind by her husband, who eventually died?

Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin who died in prison, shared a video from her X account on Monday, February 19. In the video where she said, "The best thing we can do for Navalny is to fight," Navalnaya said that she would continue the work Navalni left behind.

“Vladimir Putin killed my husband,” Navalnaya said, adding that she would work with the Russian people against the Kremlin government to create a new Russia.

Yulia Borisovna Navalnaya (born 24 July 1976) is a Russian public figure, economist and the widow of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. She has been described in media as the "first lady" of the Russian opposition. After her husband's death, she announced that she will continue his work.

Navalnaya also said in the video she shared, "I want to live in a free Russia, I want to build a free Russia."

Navalniya's wife, Navalnaya, who came to the fore when Navalni became known for her anti-corruption work, always kept herself in the background. When asked about her role in anti-corruption efforts, Navalnaya stated that she was primarily a wife and mother.

She did not consider herself a politician.

Even though she kept him in the background, her husband was Navalni's biggest supporter. Navalnaya, who played a major role in the kidnapping of Navalni from Russia when he was tortured with nerve gas in 2020, has now become one of the influential figures of the opposition in Russia with the death of Navalni.

Navalny stated many times that he could not continue his work without Navalnaya's support. For this reason, Navalnaya was seen by the Russian people as the "First Lady" of the Russian opposition.

Both Navalni and Navalnaya have publicly shared their dating stories and personal lives many times. Navalny and Navalnaya, who started a family with two children, were a source of inspiration for supporters of the Russian opposition.

Yulia, whose maiden name was Ambrosimova, was born in 1976 in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Navalnaya is the daughter of Russia's respected scientist Boris Ambrosimov.

Navalnaya, an economics graduate, worked in the financial sector for a long time. However, later, when Navalni came to the fore in the opposition, she had to quit her job.

Navalny and Navalnaya met on a holiday in Turkey in 1998. They got married two years after they met.

Navalnaya stated that she could never have predicted that Navalni would leave his mark on Russian politics at that time and said:

“I did not marry an aspiring lawyer or opposition leader. “I married a young man whose name is Aleksey.”

Both Navalnaya and Navalny were members of Russia's liberal party Yabloko in the early 2000s. However, unlike Navalni, Navalnaya gave more importance to her private life.

Navalnaya, who came to the fore on Russian social media after Navalny was tortured with nerve gas in 2020, helped her husband escape from Russia. The couple, who escaped from Russia after the Russian opposition leader was tortured through a German-backed foundation, returned to Russia of their own accord.

When the couple returned to Russia, Navalny was detained at the airport, arrested, and taken to prison. Navalny remained in prison until the last day of his life.

“A principled and fearless woman”

Former United States Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul calls Navalnaya "a principled and fearless woman" and says:

“Navalny could not have had a better life partner than Navalnaya. “Navalnaya shares the same fearlessness, courage, and faith as her husband.”

Recently, Navalnaya said that she would not follow the same path as Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, one of the leading figures of the Belarusian opposition. Tikhanovskaya announced that she was running for president just before the 2020 elections after her husband was imprisoned.

However, according to many, Navalnaya's emotional speech at the Munich Security Conference left many questions. While there are those who think that Navalnaya may change her mind, there are also those who think that there is an opportunity to follow a different path.

However, Navalnaya's latest post clearly shows that she will not remain silent. We do not know if she will be a candidate against Putin, but it seems that Navalnaya is determined to expose the corruption of government supporters in Russia.

He received the news of his wife's death in Germany

Navalnaya received the news of Navalni's death at the Munich Security Conference, which she attended in Germany.

Navalnaya, who received the news of his death in Germany, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his entire team "will be punished for what they did to Russia, his family and his wife."