Even from his penal colony, he managed to put forward his ideas.
Opponent Alexeï Navalny, enemy number one of the Kremlin, called this Thursday for demonstrations across Russia during the presidential election scheduled for March 15-17, which should allow Vladimir Putin to remain in power at least until 2030 .
“I like the idea that those who vote against Putin go to the polls at the same time, at noon.
Noon against Putin,” the opponent said on his social networks.
“This could be a powerful demonstration of the state of mind of the country,” he said from his prison, estimating that the authorities could not oppose this “perfectly legal and safe” demonstration which consists of go to the polling stations at a very specific time.
Demonstrations against the authorities are, however, banned in Russia and severely repressed by the police.
14/15 The "Noon Against Putin" action perfectly unites all the components.
Voting, agitation, physical presence, and solidarity with those who will be with you at the polling station at that time.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) February 1, 2024
He called on anyone who opposes the Kremlin's policies, primarily the assault in Ukraine, to mobilize "not only in every city, but also in every neighborhood."
(…) Millions of people will be able to participate.
And tens of millions of people will attend,” argued Alexeï Navalny on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
“Political agitation is more important than voting.
If you do not personally come out against Putin, your vote has little impact,” he explains.
Opponents in prison or in exile
The opponent thus called on Russians not to vote for Vladimir Putin, without giving the precise name of a candidate he would support, while his wife Yulia and some of his closest supporters in exile have in recent days supported Boris Nadezhdine, the only candidate in the running who calls for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
Also read: War in Ukraine, tenacious Russian economy, death of Prigozhin… Vladimir Putin, winner of the year 2023
For its part, the Kremlin assures that Russians are largely “united” behind Vladimir Putin.
The victory of the Russian president, in power since 2000, seems assured because opponents, led by Alexeï Navalny, have been imprisoned or driven into exile in recent years, in the midst of a wave of repression carried out during Moscow's assault on Ukraine.
The 47-year-old activist is currently serving a 19-year prison sentence for "extremism" in a remote Arctic penal colony, under very harsh conditions.