Young Russians mourn death of opposition leader Navalny amid suspicion of Putin involvement

The reported death on Friday of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has left many young Russians reeling from the loss of the person who they described as their last hope for a liberal democratic Russia.

Navalny, who first rose to prominence as an anti-corruption blogger, captured the attention of liberal Russians for leading the 2011 “white ribbon” protests against Valdimir Putin’s decision to return to the presidency after serving six years as prime minister.

But it was Navalny’s charisma, wry sense of humor, and a stubborn refusal to seek exile outside of Russia that helped him win over an array of young, liberal-minded Russians.

Prison authorities reported that Navalny, 47, died in a remote penal colony in the Arctic after he collapsed following a walk. News of the opposition leader's death has drawn attention around the globe. President Joe Biden was quick to blame Putin and put the Russian leader on notice that the U.S. was exploring consequences.

Though Navalny had never won a political election, his allies and supporters frequently insisted that if he survived imprisonment and outlived the Putin regime, he could become president and set the country on a decidedly different political path.

His death, exactly one month before Russia’s 2024 presidential election, dashed the aspirations of a generation that never even had the chance to cast a ballot for Navalny.

‘Symbol of childish bravery’

Dasha, a Russian college student studying in Los Angeles, said she planned to return to Russia in the summer to visit family. Now, she feels “a sense of dread” about the upcoming trip.

Dasha, and other Russian citizens interviewed by USA TODAY, agreed to speak on the condition they were only identified by their first name due to concerns of retaliation against them and their family members back home.

“This just reaffirms the harsh reality my parents warned me about,” Dasha said. “Returning to a country led by individuals willing to resort to murder holds no appeal.”

Navalny was serving several prison sentences, including a more recent 19-year sentence on “extremism” charges that a court handed him in August. He had been imprisoned since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow just months after he was poisoned with Novichok nerve agent in a botched assassination attempt.

“What has happened to Navalny is even more proof of Putin’s brutality,” Biden said during a press conference on Friday. “No one should be fooled.”

Yana, 21, decided to leave her hometown in Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Now in Israel, Yana said that she has rarely thought about returning home, but when she did it was always because of Navalny.

“He was this symbol of childish bravery,” she said.

“I’d always think, ‘If Lesha will become president, I might consider coming back,’” Yana added, referring to Navalny by a diminutive of his first name.

‘Beacon of Hope for Russia's future’

Dasha said that she viewed Navalny “as the last courageous voice standing in a landscape of fear and repression.”

“Navalny symbolized the beacon of hope for me and Russia’s future,” she added.

Matthew, a recent college graduate living in Moscow, said in Russian that he and others his age viewed Navalny as “the most striking example of open opposition in modern Russia.”

While the news of Navalny’s reported death did not immediately spark massive public protests in Russia’s largest cities — likely due to repressive laws that forbid protests — videos circulating on Telegram, a social media channel, showed hundreds of people in major cities laying flowers at makeshift memorials in honor of Navalny.

Some videos also showed Russian police officers arresting some mourners. About 100 people across 8 cities were detained by Russian police as they tried to lay flowers and attend various vigils related to Navalny's death as of Saturday, according to OVD-Info, a Moscow-based independent human rights group and information service that focuses on political persecution in Russia.

Matthew said that while he is personally still struggling to process Navalny’s death, when the “realization comes, the fact of his death is discouraging, takes away hope, and puts you into a stupor.”

Matthew, however, said that Russians like him won’t give up on their dreams for political change in Russia.

“Navalny says that in the event of his death to not give up hope,” Matthew said, referring to a 2022 documentary about Navalny’s recovery from the assassination attempt.

“Hope lives in each of us,” he said. “We must take care of our family and friends, engage in our own personal development, and never run away from somewhere but follow the goal — like Navalny did.”

‘We All Have to Believe’

The future of the opposition in Russia was murky even before Navalny’s death, with other opposition figures either exiled outside the country or imprisoned and in poor health like Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Kara-Murza was convicted of treason and sentenced to 25 years. Kara-Murza, who survived two poisoning attempts he blamed on the Kremlin, was arrested and jailed shortly after condemning the Russian invasion in a March 2022 speech to the Arizona House of Representatives.

But while public figures and ordinary Russian citizens alike said Navalny’s death was a major setback, it may not spell the end of the opposition movement to Putin, who is expected to claim victory in next month’s election.

Mikhail Zygar, the founding editor of independent Russian news channel TV Rain, wrote in a statement that “we will not give up.”

Zygar, who left Russia days after the invasion of Ukraine, said that Navalny will serve as an example and inspiration for the future of Russia’s opposition.

“We will always have Alexei Navalny with us as an ideal example,” Zygar wrote. “As a superhero for many generations. As a man on whose story children will grow up.”

Dasha, who has only lived under Putin’s regime, said that the opposition can’t be complacent.

“Living in a Russia where Putin has always been in power, we face the daunting prospect of waiting for his death as the only realistic catalyst for change,” she said. “I hope it pushes us to engage in increased political activism, recognizing that the current regime stifles dissent and perpetuates injustice.”

Yana, like Zygar, described Navalny as a “superman,” but struck a more pessimistic tone about what his death means for Russia.

She said that even when some young Russians grew disillusioned with their country in 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, “all the motivational speeches or slogans always had Alexey’s name in them.”

“Even after the beginning of the war in Ukraine, many people kept saying those phrases,” she said. “They won’t anymore.”

Zygar, however, wrote that Navalny “will be the ‘founding father’ of the new Russia.”

“Many people seriously believed that there is no democracy in the world, and there is no freedom of speech, only propaganda everywhere, and there is no such thing as fair justice. But Alexei believed in all those values,” Zygar wrote. “And he gave his life for it.”

“So now we all have to believe,” he added. “And the next generations will grow up and learn by looking at him — and they will also believe.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Young Russians say opposition leader's death is blow to future