One Year After Navalny’s Death, Supporters Gather at His Grave Amidst Repression
A year after the controversial death in prison of Alexei Navalny, a prominent opposition figure in Russia, over a thousand of his supporters gathered at his grave in Moscow’s Borisov cemetery on Sunday, February 16, despite the risk of legal retaliation.
According to journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP) present at the scene, the security presence was discrete, with primarily plainclothes police deployed around the cemetery. Some attendees wore surgical masks to avoid being recognized. Nevertheless, at least 1,500 individuals gathered to lay flowers on Navalny’s grave, according to AFP reporters.
Additional commemorations were planned outside Russia, announced by Navalny’s exiled associates.
Speaking briefly at the cemetery, Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, called for those responsible for her son’s "murder" to be "punished." She added, "The whole world knows the mastermind. But we want to know the executors, those who allowed it, those who committed it…"
Western diplomats, including representatives from the American, French, Spanish, Norwegian, and European Union embassies, also paid their respects at Navalny’s grave. In a statement released Sunday afternoon, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that Paris "holds the Russian authorities fully responsible for the death of Alexei Navalny." The statement also emphasized that France "continues to demand an independent and thorough investigation to shed full light on the conditions of his tragic death."
A charismatic anti-corruption activist and President Vladimir Putin’s primary political opponent, Navalny was declared an "extremist" by the Russian judicial system. Publicly mentioning Navalny or his organization, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), without specifying that they have been deemed "extremist" exposes violators to severe penalties. This threat remains in effect despite Navalny’s death under dubious circumstances in an Arctic prison on February 16, 2024, and the exile of nearly all his associates.
Navalny’s death, at the age of 47, has still not been fully explained. Russian authorities maintain that it occurred while he was walking in the prison yard.
Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who has taken over the reins of his movement, is scheduled to participate in an event in Berlin, where numerous Russian opposition figures reside. "A future Russia, free, peaceful, and beautiful, the one Alexei dreamed of, is possible. Let’s do everything we can to make his dream come true," she urged in a video released by her team on Sunday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was among the first Western leaders to honor Navalny’s memory on Sunday, saluting a man who died "because he fought for democracy and freedom in Russia." The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, wrote in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian authorities "bear ultimate responsibility" for the opposition leader’s death, calling for the "immediate and unconditional release of Alexei Navalny’s lawyers and all political prisoners."
Telegram channels favorable to the Kremlin had warned supporters of the late opposition figure, advising them not to attend the cemetery. One message, disseminated by these channels, depicted "Big Brother and his ever-watchful eye" alongside a photograph of a sign revealing the presence of a surveillance camera at the cemetery gates.
Russian authorities have systematically dismantled Navalny’s movement, imprisoning several of his supporters. Four journalists are currently on trial in Russia for "involvement in an extremist group," accused of producing visual content for Navalny’s team.
Three of the lawyers who defended Navalny were sentenced in January to prison terms ranging from three and a half to five years for relaying his messages while he was in custody. In Russia, the crackdown has sent hundreds of people to prison, with thousands more penalized or threatened due to their opposition to the regime or to the conflict in Ukraine.
Navalny was detained in January 2021 upon his return to Russia after recovering in Germany from poisoning, which he attributed to the Kremlin—an accusation that was refuted.
In December 2023, he was transferred to an isolated penal colony beyond the Arctic Circle to serve a 19-year prison sentence for "extremism."
Suppressed in Russia, the Russian opposition is attempting to revive itself abroad, but with limited success so far. Yulia Navalnaya and two other prominent opposition figures organized a march in Berlin in November against the Russian president and the offensive in Ukraine, drawing approximately 2,000 Russian exiles.
The Russian opposition, decapitated by the loss of its figurehead, scattered abroad due to repression in Russia, and fractured by internal strife, is in a position of unprecedented weakness. Beyond slogans, the opposition struggles to propose a concrete approach that would lead to the end of the war and the departure of Vladimir Putin. Several scandals within its ranks have also weakened it and led to frustration among some of its activists.
