Yulia Navalnaya, wife of dead Putin opponent Alexei Navalny, vows to continue fight

The Feb. 16 death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, has sparked global controversy. Now his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has vowed to continue the fight for a “free Russia,” encouraging supporters to even more stubbornly oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin. The public figure and former Russian ambassador accused Putin of killing her husband after he died suddenly in an Arctic prison earlier this month, saying “I want them to know that they will be punished for what they have done with our country, with my family, and with my husband.”

Navalnaya, who has been labeled by Russian tabloids as the “First Lady” of the Russian opposition, reiterated those comments on Monday. In a 9-minute video posted to YouTube, she declared her duty to continue her late husband’s work.

“I want to live in a free Russia, I want to build a free Russia,” Navalnaya said in the video, promising to reveal Navalny’s alleged killers and urging others to stand next to her. “I ask you to share the rage with me. Rage, anger, hatred towards those who dared to kill our future.” Over the weekend, more than 400 Russians have been detained related to protests against Navalny’s death. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in Navalny’s death.