Alexey Navalny’s team is used to working independently. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most powerful enemies often remain absent for long periods after being arrested, attacked, poisoned or imprisoned.
But when Navalny died suddenly in a remote Arctic prison in February at the age of 47, his team faced a monumental challenge: sustaining the opposition to Putin without a living example of their defiance and charisma. Opposition Movement – Putin is almost certain to be re-elected. leader.
After the initial shock wore off, Navalny’s closest allies returned to the job that cost him his freedom and his life: undermining Putin’s iron grip on power.
A major test will come on Sunday, the last of three days when voters can go to the polls to cast their ballots in an election widely viewed as more of a formality than an exercise in democracy.
That’s when Navalny’s team, backed by his widow Yulia Navalnaya, called for a protest called “Noon Against Putin.” They asked Russians to flock to polling stations in the country’s 11 time zones at noon local time on Sunday to express their dissatisfaction with Putin’s rule and his war in Ukraine.
“This is a very simple and safe action that cannot be banned,” Navalnaya said in a video address. “This will help millions of people see their like-minded allies and realize that we are not alone and we Surround yourself with people who are against war, corruption and lawlessness.”
In the weeks since Navalny’s death, his followers have expressed a range of emotions, from renewed inspiration to a sense of failure.
Moscow’s Maria Obukhova paid tribute to Navalny at Borisovskoye Cemetery on Wednesday, saying the thousands of people she saw at Navalny’s funeral were very inspiring.
“This was a huge surprise to me because before it seemed like everything here was dead, Russia no longer existed, it was dead,” said Obukhova, who placed white daisies at Navalny’s grave .
Another Muscovite at the cemetery is named Valery, who has withheld his last name for security reasons. He said he had little hope for the future and “something really broke” inside him after Navalny’s death.
Just days after her husband’s death, Navalnaya expressed her determination to continue her mission.
Over the past month, she has spoken in the European Parliament, met with U.S. President Joe Biden and urged Western countries not to recognize Russia’s election results. She also called on the West to impose more sanctions on those close to Putin.
Ahead of the election, Navalny’s team urged supporters to vote for any candidate other than Putin or to invalidate the vote by choosing two or more candidates. They also have dozens of volunteers calling ordinary Russians to ask about their grievances and try to turn them against Putin.
Navalny announced the phone campaign this summer and since then, “tens of thousands” of calls have been made, Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s senior strategist, said in a video. “We’re not going to stop doing this,” he vowed.
Volkov also gave a video address shortly after Navalny’s death to rally supporters and perhaps tap into the perseverance of his longtime ally. “If you and I live to see how this regime disintegrates before Putin’s eyes, it will be a monument to Alexei’s cause,” he said.
Still, the uphill battle against Putin’s opposition has intensified with the exile of its leader.
“The (Putin) regime is driving people out of Russia because it knows very well that the possibility of influencing the Russian political process from abroad is minimal,” said Nikolai Petrov, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
Sam Green, director of the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, said Sunday’s “Noon Against Putin” protest will test how much Navalny’s team can do in Russia from abroad.
“Part of what they want to do is send a message to those who remain in Russia that you are not alone and that the exile opposition supports them to a certain extent,” Green said. “But the question is, how do they support them?”
Efforts are underway to quell the protests. Navalny’s team said they had sent fake emails claiming they told Putin’s opponents to show up at polling stations at 5 p.m. instead of noon.
Golos, Russia’s independent election watchdog, reported that officials in at least one region were instructed to report large gatherings near polling stations to police.
Late on Thursday, the Moscow prosecutor’s office warned that unauthorized gatherings near polling stations “could hinder citizens’ free exercise of their right to vote and the work of electoral commissions,” a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
The personal risks for Putin’s opponents remain high.
Volkov was attacked near his home in Lithuania on Tuesday. According to Navalny’s team, the attackers smashed his car windows, sprayed tear gas in his face and beat him with hammers.
Volkov was taken to the hospital and after he was released, he said he suffered a broken arm and severe leg injuries that made it painful to walk.
He blamed “Putin’s followers” for the attack and said it was an attempt to intimidate the team ahead of a “midday anti-Putin” protest.
With Navalny gone, some of his supporters are recalibrating their expectations.
Valery, one of many people who have visited Navalny’s grave southeast of Moscow in recent weeks, said he was less optimistic about the opposition’s prospects.
“Although his wife Yulia (his widow) has taken up the baton, I’m not sure it will be the same as it was when Alexei was alive,” he said.
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