As of: March 14, 2024, 12:11 p.m
By: Simon Schröder
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Many people still take Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin too seriously, says the widow of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
She suggests a different approach.
Washington DC - Shortly before the Russia election, opposition politician Yulia Navalnaya called for the foreseeable re-election of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin not to be recognized internationally.
“Unfortunately, too many people in the West still see him as a legitimate political leader, discuss his ideology and search for the political meaning of his actions,” wrote the widow of dissident Alexei Navalny, who died in custody, in a guest article in the US newspaper
Washington Post
.
“Putin is not a politician” – Navalny’s widow calls the president a “gangster”
She suggested looking at the Kremlin leader differently and deriving political steps from this: “Putin is not a politician, he is a gangster,” she wrote.
This explains his brutality, his penchant for luxury and his desire to kill.
His status is important for a mafia boss, which is why foreign countries should deny Putin international recognition after the election.
A gangster and those around him also care about money.
Therefore, the opportunities for enrichment for his inner circle should be restricted in order to stir up discontent among the Russian elite, she demanded.
Alexej Navalny's widow Julia Navalny during her speech in the EU Parliament © Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
According to Navalnaya, the result of the Russian election should not be recognized internationally
“For Western countries, comprehensive support for Ukraine and its army in the fight against Putin’s unjustified aggression has become a natural moral choice,” Navalnaya wrote.
But because a military defeat does not always lead to the overthrow of a tyrant, it is also necessary to continue to support currents critical of the government in Russia.
How widespread these are was shown when thousands of people visited her husband's grave in Moscow, she argued.
She continued: “But why do democratic countries continue to recognize his criminal authority as legitimate?” She reiterated that not internationally recognizing the result of the Russian election would be an important step.
“It would be an important signal to Russian civil society and to the elites still loyal to Putin, as well as to the world, that Russia is not ruled by a universally recognized president, but by someone who is despised and publicly condemned.”
Navalnaya suggests protest action in Russia election: overloading polling stations
In addition to her call not to internationally recognize Putin's re-election, she also appealed to the people of Russia.
In a YouTube video published on Wednesday (March 6), the Putin critic suggested an unusual protest action.
“We have to go to the polling station at the same time on the same day: March 17 at 12:00 p.m.,” she shared.
The idea behind the campaign: If everyone goes to vote at the same time, the polling stations will be overloaded.
This “lunch against Putin,” as the opposition calls it, would be a legal and safe way to express one’s displeasure against Putin’s regime, as Der
Spiegel
puts it.
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In an emotional speech to the EU Parliament, Navalnaya recently announced that she would continue her husband's life's work, as the
Tagesschau
reported.
Navalny's widow said: "I will do my best to make his dream come true.
Evil will fail and the wonderful future will come.” Here too, she particularly called for Putin’s financial flows to be targeted in order to hit Putin where it hurts.
Putin wants to be confirmed as president for another six-year term in Sunday's election after a quarter of a century at the helm of Russia.
There are no serious opposing candidates.
(dpa/SiSchr)