New Delhi: Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has urged the West to refuse to recognise the results of the upcoming Russian presidential election, set to take place 15-17 March.
“It would be an important signal to civil society in Russia and the elites still loyal to Putin, as well as to the world…,” she wrote in a sharply worded op-ed for Washington Post Wednesday.
The 47-year-old widow is an economist and often dubbed the ‘First Lady’ of the Russian opposition. On 16 February, her husband, a long-time critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in an Arctic penal camp. Though Russia’s spy chief said he died of natural causes, Navalny’s wife, supporters as well as UN human rights experts have pointed fingers at the Kremlin.
In her op-ed, Navalnaya also called for more sanctions on Putin’s allies and associates. “By depriving thousands of influential figures of their capital and assets, you lay the groundwork for internal divisions — and ultimately the collapse of the regime,” she wrote.
This was in keeping with her description of the Russian President as a “mafia boss” and “gangster”.
“Deprive gangsters of their wealth, and they will lose their loyalty to their leader,” she wrote, adding that the Russian leader is not concerned about his country’s economy.
This year, US President Joe Biden announced 500 new sanctions against Russia, including against people connected with Navalny’s imprisonment. The UK has also sanctioned six individuals at the prison where he died and imposed a travel ban on them.
Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the US, UK and EU, Australia, Canada, Japan and others have imposed economic sanctions on Russia. The G7 have adopted sanctions, import bans, and other measures to reduce their dependence on Moscow’s energy supplies. They have also taken measures against goods like Russian diamonds.
On Tuesday, Leonid Volkov, a long-time aide of Navalny, was attacked outside his home in Lithuania with a hammer and tear gas. He blamed Putin for the attack.
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‘Not a legitimate political leader’
In her op-ed, Navalny’s wife accused Western leaders of mistakenly viewing Putin as a “legitimate” political leader.
“Too many people in the West still see him as a legitimate political leader, argue about his ideology and look for political logic in his actions,” she wrote.
“Why do fairly elected world leaders put themselves on the same level as a criminal…?” she asked.
Prior to his death, Navalny had urged fellow Russians to protest against Putin on election day by turning out to vote at noon as part of his ‘Noon against Putin’ campaign.
Reiterating her husband’s call for protest, Navalnaya, in her op-ed, urged Western countries to support resistance forces in Russia.
“Do not believe that everyone in Russia supports Putin and his war,” she wrote.
In late 2022, chaos had erupted at Russia’s borders as scores of Russian men attempted to leave the country to avoid conscription in the war.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)