One year ago today, famed Russian dissident Alexei Navalny died under mysterious circumstances in the Siberian penal colony known as Polar Wolf.

Revered by his followers as the face and voice of Russia’s hope for the future, honored by the Western opponents of Vladimir Putin’s tyrannical rule, and finally mourned after his passing in spite of Putin’s attempts to prevent public displays in his honor . . . today, his name is seldom heard in Russia.

His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, continues her attempts to keep his Anti-Corruption Foundation — now renamed ACF International — operating from exile in Europe to rally the Russian people as her husband once did.

But there is little evidence of success, thanks to Putin’s crackdown on all forms of dissent. The Kremlin has gone so far as to prosecute Russians for the public display of Navalny’s image, calling it an “extremist symbol.”

And without Navalny’s leadership, his ACF has been unable to gather the support they had when he was alive.

Ben Noble, assistant professor of Russian politics at University College London, has said that the struggles of Navalny’s associates are “a reflection of the fact that Navalny’s gone. Navalny, clearly, for his charisma, his eloquence, his obstinacy, his bravery, all of those qualities, he stood out. Even though [Navalnaya] said that she vowed to take on her husband’s work, we haven’t seen her or anybody else rise as a sort of central leading figure.” [Steve Gutterman, RFE/RL, February 16, 2025.]

“Still,” he added, “it’s far too early to write off Team Navalny.” [Id.]

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Navalny himself, in his posthumously-published memoir “Patriot,” predicted that he would die behind bars. “I’ll be missing from all photos,” he wrote. And Putin is doing everything in his power to fulfill that prophecy — not only by having made sure that his nemesis did indeed die while in prison, but now by punishing people simply for holding his photo or speaking his name. [Id.]

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My heart has been twice broken for this remarkable man: first, when he died a year ago; and now, when I realize that all of his effort, his devotion, his unflagging courage may have been for nought.

Why does it so often happen in real life that the good guys don’t win?

Requiescat in pace, Alexei Navalny. You did your best.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/16/25