He died in February in a Siberian prison camp, under unexplained circumstances. Vladimir Putin thought that with the death of Alexei Navalny, he had heard the last of his most worrisome opponent; but he was wrong. He hadn’t counted on the force of martyrdom, or of the will of Navalny’s people.

And he certainly hadn’t counted on the publication of what has been termed Navalny’s “final letter to the world.” It is the story of his life; but more than that, it is a diary of the last years of that life — years spent in the most brutal circumstances imaginable. The book, titled “Patriot,” was started while he was recuperating in Germany after having been poisoned with the Russian nerve agent Novichok. And it was finished during those last years in prison. When they couldn’t kill him with poison, they simply finished him off by means of slow torture.

Alexei Navalny was the reason I began following the stories of the people I call Putin’s Hostages — Americans and other non-Russians who have been arrested in Russia on purely imaginary charges, to be held in prison as collateral for some future exchange.

His beloved wife Yulia has written:

“This book is a testament not only to Alexei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship — a fight he gave everything for, including his life. . . . Sharing his story will not only honor his memory but also inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.”

As my old-world Ukrainian grandmother used to say: “From your mouth to God’s ears.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/24/24