Navalny's widow at European Parliament: Sanctions don't work on Putin, more innovative ways needed

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, addressed the European Parliament on Feb. 28, saying that Europe needs to find more "innovative ideas" to fight Vladimir Putin's regime.

Navalnaya took up a more active public role after Navalny's death on Feb. 16 in a Russian penal colony in the town of Kharp, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.

Leaders around the world pointed at Putin as to blame for Navalny's death. It remains unclear whether the harsh prison conditions caused his death or if he was intentionally murdered.

Speaking at the parliament, Navalnaya accused Russian authorities of orchestrating a killing of Navalny, which, in her words, showed that "Putin is capable of anything and that you cannot negotiate with him."

"If you really want to defeat Putin, you have to become an innovator," Navalnaya said.

"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."

According to Navalnaya, the most important thing is to target Putin's friends, associates, and managers of his wealth.

"You, and all of us, must fight this criminal gang," she stressed.

"Everything has already been used: weapons, money, sanctions. Nothing is working," Navalnaya alleged.

International financial and military support has been crucial for Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression, aiding the country to withstand two years of full-scale war. Recent delays in U.S. assistance, the key military donor, already had a palpable effect on the ground, contributing to the loss of Avdiivka.

"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," Navalnaya said.

The U.S., the EU, and the U.K. announced additional sanctions against Russia shortly after Navalny's death and on the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The country already faces the heaviest sanctions in the world because of its aggression against Kyiv.

Read also: Russia’s descent into totalitarianism: How it happened

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