13.03.2024 | 16:26
Yulia Navalnaya wrote a column for The Washington Post about Putin
In it, she begins by admitting that she never wanted to get involved in politics, but after Putin killed her husband, she felt she had no other choice. She calls on Western leaders not to recognize the results of the upcoming elections, introduce additional sanctions and support the Russian people in the fight for freedom.
Here are its main points:
▪️ Putin is not a politician, he is a gangster. Alexey Navalny became famous in Russia and hated by Putin precisely because from the very beginning of his struggle he openly called Putin and his allies bandits who seized and used power only for their own enrichment and satisfaction of personal ambitions.
▪️ Look at Putin as the leader of a mafia group , and you will understand how to punish him and hasten his end. Status is very important to criminal leaders, both within their gangs and in the outside world. Putin has seized power in Russia, where he can declare himself the legitimate president or even crown himself heir to the Russian czars.
▪️ I'm not promising that failure to accept the results of this weekend's Russian presidential election will lead to the immediate collapse of Putin's government . But it will be an important signal to civil society in Russia and the elite still loyal to Putin, as well as to the whole world, that Russia is not ruled by a universally recognized president, but by a man who is despised and publicly condemned. Only then will those who remain loyal to Putin begin to understand that the only way to return to normal economic and political life is to get rid of him.
▪️ For criminal leaders, money is critical. Putin is indifferent to the suffering of ordinary people in both Ukraine and Russia. He doesn’t care about the Russian economy - as long as there is enough money to maintain the army and security services, as well as to fill his own pocket and the pockets of his associates. The only thing that really hurts Putin is the loss of income.
▪️ Strip the bandits of their wealth and they will lose allegiance to their leader. That is why I call for the maximum expansion and careful enforcement of sanctions against all more or less visible politicians associated with Putin, so-called businessmen, government officials and law enforcement officers.
▪️ Broad support for Ukraine and its army in the fight against Putin's unjustified aggression has become a natural moral choice for Western countries . Putin's military defeat in Ukraine should bring his government to the brink of collapse.
▪️ Don't believe that everyone in Russia supports Putin and his war. There is a brutal dictatorship in Russia. The number of political prisoners in Russia is three times higher than during the Soviet system's struggle with dissidents. Human rights are violated, there is no freedom of speech and protest.
▪️ My husband’s funeral in Moscow also turned into a multi-day protest. Despite all the efforts of the authorities, thousands of people came to his grave and covered it with flowers.
At the end of her article, she recalled that Alexey’s last call to Russians was to participate in the “Noon against Putin” campaign, and called on the leaders of Western countries not to recognize the election results and the legitimacy of power.
I call on the political leaders of the West to help all Russian citizens who oppose Putin's gang. I urge you to finally hear the voice of free Russia and take a principled position - not to recognize the results of the fraudulent elections, not to recognize Putin as the legitimate president of Russia.