A year after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died behind bars, his supporters are preparing to remember him with memorial events today, despite the risk of reprisals for those who visit his grave in Moscow.
Meanwhile, the Russian opposition movement, forced into exile by an unprecedented blow, is plagued by internal strife and severely weakened by the loss of its leader, writes A2 CNN.
Exiled in various countries, its leading figures have tried to revive the fight against President Vladimir Putin's long rule even in Russia, where criticism of the authorities is severely punished.
Navalny, Putin's main opponent, was declared an "extremist" by authorities in Moscow, a decision that remains in effect despite his death in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024.
In Russia, anyone who mentions Navalny or his Anti-Corruption Foundation without stating that both have been declared "extremists" faces a fine or up to four years in prison, A2 CNN reports.
"Alexei's supporters will hold memorial events around the world," Navalny's former aide Leonid Volkov wrote on Telegram. "In some countries there will be demonstrations or marches, in others the documentary 'Navalny' will be shown, in some places there will be memorial ceremonies," he added.
Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, will share memories of her husband at an event in Berlin, where many Russian opposition supporters are located, reports A2 CNN.
"Wherever you are, in Russia or abroad, we hope that on February 16 we will meet like-minded people," Volkov wrote, giving the opening hours of Moscow's Borisovskoye cemetery where Navalny is buried.
But pro-Kremlin Russian Telegram channels warned supporters not to go to the cemetery. "We give a quick tip to those who are planning to go but are not sure yet: do not go!" the warning message read, accompanied by a photo of the security camera sign at the cemetery gates.
(A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
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