Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has stated that she wants to participate in the Russian presidential elections.
"My goal is to bring about and make possible changes in the country. If I return to Russia, I will run for president," Navalnaya said in a BBC interview.
However, she acknowledged that returning to Russia might be impossible while Vladimir Putin remains in power. She also mentioned that she couldn’t even attend her husband's funeral due to fears of arrest.
In July, Moscow's Basmanny Court issued an arrest warrant for Navalnaya in absentia, charging her with involvement in an extremist organization. She was sentenced to two months of pretrial detention, which would begin either upon her extradition or her arrest within Russia.
During the BBC interview, Navalnaya admitted that she doesn’t have a quick solution for changing the country’s political landscape.
"“If you cannot do something big right away, do something small every day, and the more people do this, the sooner the time for change will come," she said.
She also addressed the difficult position of the Russian opposition, many of whom are living in exile and feeling disheartened.
"I am not. Despite all the terrible events that have happened in my life, I believe that someday everything must change, sooner or later," she added.
Critics have argued that infighting within the Russian opposition weakens their efforts against Putin’s regime. Navalnaya, however, pushed back on this idea, comparing the opposition’s internal disagreements to the natural political competition seen in democratic countries.
Even opponents of Vladimir Putin can have different views and goals. It is normal for politicians to compete with each other,” she said.
In a previous interview with The Times, Navalnaya mentioned that her late husband would have preferred her to stay out of politics. “But you just understand that there is no choice. Of course, you could keep quiet. But I can’t do that. I will never give up [in this fight] for Russia,” Navalnaya.
