Time to read: 46 minutes(s)

On the ninth day since Alexei Navalny's death, "NeMoscow" is launching a memory map. Let's gather together everything we remember about the politician's travels across the country—his "Beautiful Russia of the Future."

Navalny has visited numerous Russian cities throughout his life. The largest number of trips occurred in 2017 and 2018, when the politician was preparing for the presidential elections and opening campaign offices in the regions.

He also traveled around Russia filming investigations. Then he moved around the penal colonies.

Almost every visit of his became a regional event. At the very least, police and intelligence officers made sure to keep him under constant surveillance.

Most often, ordinary citizens knew about Navalny's visits. Many came to listen to him.

"NeMoscow" created a map "Alexei Navalny's Russia".

This isn't a list of all the cities the politician visited. And certainly not the most notable events that accompanied his visits.

Tell Only eyewitnesses to those events can truly know what it looked like. Perhaps that's you.

Each of you can add to our memory map.

About Navalny's visit to your city and what was memorable about his visit. How did residents, officials, and security forces react? What did Navalny himself say? And what changed after his departure?

Today seems like a good day to do it.

Write here.

ANAPA, ARKHANGELSK, ASTRAKHAN, BARNAUL, BUTYN, VELIKY NOVGOROD, VLADIMIR, VOLGOGRAD, VOGDA, EKATERINBURG, IVANOVO, IZHEVSK, Irkutsk, KAZAN, KALININGRAD, KALUGA, KEMEROVO, KIROV, KOSTROMA, MURMANSK, NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Novokuznetsk, NOVOSIBIRSK, OMSK, PENZA, PERMIAN, PSKOV, ROSTOV-ON-DON, RYAZAN, SAMARA, PETERSBURG, Saransk, SARATOV, TAMBOV, TVER, TOMSK, TULA, TYUMEN, ULYANOVSK, UFA, KHABAROVSK, HARP, CHEBOKSARY, CHELYABINSK, YOSHKAR-OLA, YAROSLAVL, ORENBURG, Kursk, SMOLENSK

19 May 2017

After all venues refused to rent the hall, a 16-year-old supporter of the politician suggested holding the meeting in a computer club. Ultimately, Navalny spoke against a backdrop of walls decorated with computer game monsters. He said the missing piece was a portrait of oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who at the time recorded an angry address from his yacht regarding the film "He's Not Dimon to You."

"Usmanov's yacht costs two and a half years of Penza's budget! Why do we live in such poverty?! There's only one thing: these Usmanovs, Dimons, and all the rest. And I truly believe that, since no one really likes them, we can remove them from power. No one likes them."

The politician stated that the country will become normal once its residents are able to stop the cycle of hypocrisy and lies.

"The problem is lack of faith and the fact that no one in Russia has ever seen an honest government that truly wants change, not yachts and planes. And we will create that government."

20 May 2017

On the day of his arrival, someone hung posters on the streets of Saransk reading "LGBT - for Navalny!"

The politician's team was unable to find anyone brave enough to provide a hall for the meeting. They considered gathering supporters in the square. But then the police could have considered it an unsanctioned rally.

At the very last minute, someone mentioned he had a piece of land near Saransk—a clearing on the edge of a forest. In fact, it was private property where anyone could gather.

They quickly found a bus and even brought a small tent. According to Navalny, the only thing missing was shashlik.

"This forest, field performance of ours is very important for understanding what Russia is like today. And why we should do what we're doing now."

March 4 2017

Alexei Navalny arrived in Ufa for the opening of the local election headquarters, headed by Lilia Chanysheva. At the train station, the politician was met not only by supporters but also by provocateurs—Navalny was pelted with raw eggs.

"It was fantastic. A beautiful arrival that everyone at the station (and there were a lot of people there) noticed." — Navalny commented on Twitter.

A group of activists escorted the opposition leader along the platform, chanting "Shame." One of them unfurled a banner reading "US Agent."

Navalny himself called these people "idiots." He said several "shells" hit police officers.

"One definitely negative thing: a random person was getting off the train and they hit him right in the eye with an egg. I hope he's okay and his eye is intact." — the politician wrote and asked the victim for forgiveness.

A reader of NeMoskva attended the meeting with Navalny.

— I remember, when asked: “How do you like Ufa?” Navalny replied: “There’s a lot of snow; I haven’t seen so much snow since I was a child.”

21 May 2017

According to Navalny, Ulyanovsk hosted one of the best volunteer meetings: it went smoothly, no one interfered with renting a space, and no one sent provocateurs with green paint and tomatoes.

More than 300 people came to talk to the politician.

Navalny admired the fact that airplanes are built in Ulyanovsk—not every country in the world can afford that. However, he was shocked by the terrible roads.

 "It's impossible to live like this in the 21st century. Humanity has been building roads for six thousand years, but when you drive through Ulyanovsk, it's like, oh my! Was it just yesterday that they bombed it? Did they fly from a NATO base and bomb it? How does this happen? Our campaign is about these obvious, straightforward questions."

According to Navalny, Russian politics is “chaos, where corrupt officials reign.”

He chatted with the volunteers for over an hour. After it got dark, he asked for time off to see the Volga.

26 May 2017

Alexei Navalny arrived in Ryazan to open his headquarters. He was greeted by Cossacks, Night Wolves, and students from the Faculty of Philology. The students held signs (some with punctuation errors): "Maidan will not pass," "Navalny is war," "Navalny out of Ryazan." There were more supporters. One Ryazan woman hugged him and said, "You're here, and you're alive?"

He spoke a lot about the poverty of workers, about the “sawing away” of the authorities and business, and about the fact that when he is “put in a cage,” even the police complain to him about low salaries.

"Many realized that hopelessness had set in. In 2017, everyone realized that nothing good would ever happen. If they didn't do anything in the '10s, when oil was $120 a barrel, and we live in a country that remains in ruins, then they'll never do anything again. Everything they earn goes straight to beautiful Marbella." - he said.

He first arrived on March 24, 2017, for the opening of the headquarters. A group of people had gathered outside the building, displeased with Navalny's photo collage, where the face of the Motherland was painted green. They held signs reading, "Vandalist, get out of Volgograd!"

After being invited to the headquarters, they attempted to grab Navalny and force him into the crowd. But his supporters pulled him back. The politician escaped with a torn button.

"I don't mind giving away a button for Volgograd! Look how cool it is – they closed the street for me, brought out a whole line of riot police, carried me in their arms. It doesn't matter that it's upside down – it's still awesome!"

On November 10, 2017, he held a sanctioned rally in Volgograd, attended by over 500 people. Provocateurs were present in the crowd in front of the stage.

"There are three people from the governor standing in front of me, shouting 'Boo' at me. Get on stage and tell everyone 'Boo'. No? I still love you all. Poor, lost people who dream of a small salary."

In 2009, Kirov Governor Nikita Belykh invited Navalny to serve as an advisor, focusing on attracting investment. At the same time, according to investigators, he "organized the theft of property" from the state-owned enterprise Kirovles, selling more than 10 cubic meters of timber at a reduced price. In 2013, he received a five-year suspended sentence for this.

The politician himself stated that the timber was sold at market price, that he personally received no income from it, and that the case was inflated to prevent him from participating in the presidential elections.

"This is a message to me: people like you are prohibited from participating in politics, you are marginalized, you should be on the sidelines. So I answer: I understand, thank you very much, but no. My election campaign will continue."

Navalny has been to Kirov many times: first for work, then to attend court hearings, and even to spend time in a pretrial detention center (“there are an awful lot of mosquitoes there”).

In June 2017, he was unable to attend the opening of the election headquarters because the airline cancelled the flight.

He first visited Tomsk on March 17, 2017, for the opening of his headquarters. The day before, his comrades, Alena Khlestunova and Ksenia Fadeeva, had their doors filled with foam and their cars damaged. Due to a bomb threat, the meeting with supporters took place outside.

"The idiotic authorities have committed yet another idiotic act. For some reason, they didn't allow us to hold a normal meeting. They evacuated not only us, but the entire shopping center. This shows once again that the authorities don't care about the residents of Tomsk at all."

Another time, I came in August 2020 to support my team in the city council elections. And also to make a film about the United Russia deputies who ran utility companies and were at the root of the city's housing and utilities problems.

He didn't advertise his arrival much: just a few selfies with those who recognized him.

On August 20, he felt ill on a plane from Tomsk to Moscow. It was later discovered that he had been poisoned at the Xander Hotel: a group of FSB officers had applied poison to the politician's underwear.

A NeMoskva reader shared a photo: returning from work, she saw Alexei Navalny recording a video on a street in Tomsk. It was the evening of August 19, just hours before the politician's poisoning.

Navalny was transferred to Kharp in December 2023 and placed in Correctional Colony No. 3 "Polar Wolf," one of the northernmost and most remote penal colonies in Russia. It is located in the permafrost zone.

"I can't entertain you with stories of polar exotica yet, because I've seen nothing but the camera. And outside the camera window, all you can see is a fence standing right next to you." — the politician himself clarified.

He was amazed by the “beautiful fluffy shepherd dogs” and the severe frosts.

Despite the weather, he tried to go for a walk every day, which took place in a small courtyard 11 steps long and 3 steps wide. He spent the last month and a half of his life in the polar night: “I say: “Oh-oh-oh,” when I look out the window, where first it’s night, then evening, then night again.”

In January, he was sent to solitary confinement for "refusing to identify himself in the correct form, not responding to educational work, and not drawing proper conclusions." This was his 27th time since August 2022, and he had spent 308 days in solitary confinement during that time.

On February 16, the Federal Penitentiary Service reported that convicted prisoner Navalny died after a walk.

Navalny arrived on February 24, 2017, and spent two days in Yekaterinburg. During this time, he strolled around the city, visited the Yeltsin Center, visited the Nevyansk Icon Museum, and met with Mayor Yevgeny Roizman and journalists.

He arrived at the meeting with his supporters accompanied by local "patriots," who carried an American flag behind him and demanded he leave Yekaterinburg. He invited one of them on stage. It turned out that the "patriot" also disliked the fact that the Russian Deputy Prime Minister was flying his dogs to exhibitions abroad.

"If I lose the presidential election or am not allowed to run, I will continue to fight this government, investigate corruption, develop NGOs, and engage with all people in Russia who are dissatisfied with this government. The main source of news is 'one friend who explains everything to me.' Become that friend. And then, eventually, Dad will go to the polls and vote for me."

April 14 2017

Due to a busy schedule, I spent only half a day in Tyumen. I met with journalists and volunteers. There were no problems or provocations.

"Usually, when a headquarters opens, people throw eggs and other food. This allows me to criticize the local authorities at a meeting with journalists. But in Tyumen, nothing happened. Everything was very calm. We discussed criticizing the authorities for banning the anti-corruption rally. But it turns out it was approved. That's what a wonderful city you have." "Navalny joked, suggesting that Tyumen officials are simply more cunning than their colleagues from other regions.

Speaking to supporters, he called the destruction of sanctioned products and the proposal to register on social networks using a passport "immoral."

December 10 2017

In their attempt to obtain permission for the rally, Navalny's headquarters received 81 refusals. At the very last minute, difficulties with renting a space arose, so a huge crowd, along with Navalny, marched across the city to Hyde Park, stretching for two kilometers.

More than a thousand people came to the rally.

Navalny promised them visa-free entry to Europe and a “dream salary higher than the allowance in Poland.”

He named not Putin and corruption as his main enemies, but the phrase “they stole—new ones will come and steal even more.”

"I hate it with every fiber of my being. When it's played, a little Vladimir Putin is born into the world. And he's clinking champagne glasses with a little Dmitry Medvedev. And they're saying, 'Dima, let's go split another billion, because people agree that nothing can be changed.'"

To the suggestion that Navalny was a Kremlin project, he responded, "Sorry they didn't kill me. Sorry they didn't jail me." This got the crowd laughing.

He first came in March 2016: his associate Leonid Volkov was on trial for preventing a LifeNews journalist from filming the politician's meeting with Novosibirsk residents. As he was leaving the court, unknown assailants threw two bags of crushed cakes and two tied condoms filled with a white liquid at Navalny.

“The thought of having to spend two hours washing my jacket again infuriated me so much that I even ran to get one,” — Navalny wrote later.

The second time I came was in February 2017, for the opening of the headquarters, the second in the country.

"We want the regions to have an influence and actively participate in the election campaign. Because for 20 years, no city other than Moscow has decided anything. This is wrong, we disagree with it, and we will fight it."

He visited for the third time in August 2020 to support the coalition formed by Sergei Boyko, the head of the local campaign office, in the city council elections. He made an investigative film about four United Russia deputies involved in the construction and funeral businesses.

17 May 2016

On Navalny, his family, and members of the Anti-Corruption Foundation at the Anapa airport people attacked in Cossack uniform.

"About 35-40 people came running from different directions, started by throwing milk, then started fighting. Although it's hard to call it a fight. We were in backpacks, with children. More than half the group were women." — the politician himself wrote about this.

The "Cossacks" threw people to the ground and beat them. The worst-hit was FBK volunteer and Dozhd anchor Artyom Torchinsky, who was kicked in the head several times. The police did nothing.

Later, Ivan Petrov, a representative of the Anapa Cossack Society, claimed that members of the Anti-Corruption Foundation started the fight, and that the Cossacks were breaking it up. He also claimed that Cossack "Kubanka" hats can be purchased anywhere. military store A souvenir shop. According to another Cossack, Dmitry Slaboda, the purpose of the attack was "to show that Navalny, who lives off American money, has no place here." And the milk they doused him with "wasn't green stuff."

October 22 2017

He arrived immediately after being released from the special detention facility, where he was serving another 20 days.

The rally took place in Hyde Park and was approved, but the day before, students were given papers warning of punishment for participating in an "unauthorized event."

About 1500 people, mostly young people, had gathered in the park. Navalny's main opponent turned out to be a tipsy man in the crowd. The politician immediately invited him on stage, where he declared that "Putin is a great foreign policy maker," for which he was immediately booed. Navalny immediately seized on his revelation that "we've trusted many people since 91, but they keep robbing us." To the laughter of the crowd, he declared that he would make this his campaign slogan.

“I can’t see because of the spotlights, but I know there are police officers there, — Navalny turned to the far edge of the park. "And I want to tell you: vote for me. Then you won't have to guard a peaceful rally on Sunday evening."

He visited for the first time on September 17, 2017. Up to 7000 Omsk residents gathered for the meeting with him, which took place in the square.

"Fantastic rally and a very warm welcome," — said the politician.

The second visit was unscheduled: on August 20, 2020, Navalny fell ill on a plane en route from Tomsk to Moscow. The plane was made an emergency landing in Omsk, and the politician was taken to Emergency Hospital No. 1, where he was placed in an induced coma and placed on a ventilator.

Associates stated that the politician was poisoned.

"A metabolic disorder," the head physician insisted. The hospital was reportedly heavily manned by security forces and "plainclothesmen."

Yulia Navalnaya arrived in Omsk, seeking to transport her husband to Germany. A special flight from Berlin arrived on the morning of August 21, but Omsk doctors prohibited the transfer, claiming it would be dangerous for the patient.

Permission was granted only on August 22, after which Navalny's plane departed for Berlin. He was revived at the Charité clinic. An examination revealed traces of a Novichok-type poison in his body.

The first time I came was in June 2017, for the opening of the headquarters.

The day before, students at the College of Public and Municipal Service were called to a rally in support of the current president. Those who said they had an exam that day were promised "classes would be adjusted" and "a list would be checked" for all those who showed up.

Navalny returned again in November 2019 to participate in a rally. It took place on the grounds of a residential building, as all other locations had not been approved.

"A man approached the residents of his building and said, 'Let's give Navalny our grounds for a meeting for a couple of hours. It's ours, after all—the common property of all the residents. We'll sign a contract, take the money. Let him hold it.' 'Okay,' the residents said, 'put it to a vote.' And then they voted: 100% in favor." — Navalny wrote then.

 The rally took place, although before it began, six police cars blocked the road to the site.

Alexei Navalny was born on June 4, 1976, in the village of Butyn, near Moscow. Seven years later, his brother, Oleg, was born.

Mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, is an accountant and economist.

His father, Anatoly Navalny, is a military man originally from Zalissia, Ukraine. As a child, Alexey visited his grandmother there until the Chernobyl disaster, which left the village in the exclusion zone.

In the Moscow region, the brothers attended several schools due to their father's frequent moves for his job. At 17, Navalny received his high school diploma from the Alabinskaya School in the military settlement of Kalininets.

Congratulating his brother on his birthday in April 2023, the politician recalled: "I was picking him up from kindergarten on the way home from school, and my mother scolded me for putting his hat on crookedly and for losing a mitten on the way home. Throughout his childhood, Oleg resented having to carry my leftovers. And in 2014, simply because he was my brother, he was locked up and kept in solitary confinement, too. And now I often think I'm 'carrying' his leftovers. So we're even."

In July 2013, on his way to the verdict in the Kirovles case, he stepped out onto the train station platform for 20 minutes, where more than 50 activists and journalists were waiting. One of them asked if Navalny was nervous about the trial.

"We should worry about the fate of Russia, but let Putin worry about his own fate." "The politician replied. Boris Nemtsov accompanied him on that trip.

In March 2015, he testified in the case of FBK employee Georgy Alburov: the opposition leader's associate was accused of stealing a poster from a street fence in Vladimir and giving it to Navalny for his birthday.

"In the case of the allegedly stolen poster, which cost 500 rubles, we confiscated equipment worth several million rubles," "Navalny explained. Alburov was sentenced to 240 hours of community service for theft.

In April 2017, he opened an election headquarters in Vladimir.

From February 2021 to December 2023, he served his sentence in Vladimir prison colonies, including more than 250 days in solitary confinement. It was there that he began complaining of health problems.

24 September 2017

Over a thousand people attended the meeting with Navalny, filling the small venue to capacity. Those who couldn't find a seat listened to the speech from the curbs behind the barrier. Even after the pouring rain began, the crowd remained present.

The politician admitted that he was shocked by the high prices of food in Khabarovsk and the cost of housing.

"Our team decided to buy some great local produce on the cheap and bring it back to Moscow. Aha! People are coming back with their jaws dropped because the prices here are higher than in the capital. Our poverty, our low standard of living, is directly related to their dachas, palaces, and yachts."

He was outraged that Moscow was draining the regions of all their money, leaving nothing for development or even basic survival. He called for faith in change.

"We're being told that we're doomed forever, because we've never lived well, the country is accustomed to poverty, and it's bound to suffer. Our greatest enemy is disbelief."

November 4, 2017

In an attempt to secure approval for the rally, Navalny's headquarters received 46 refusals—all the venues were occupied by Young Guard events.

In the end, businessman Dmitry Tolmachev, nicknamed Che Guevara, provided the venue for the meeting: he donated the space of his furniture center, "Moscow." A stage was constructed from wooden pallets. More than three thousand people came to hear the politician speak.

Before the rally, Navalny visited Lake Baikal and, of course, mentioned its problems in his speech.

"We go on and on about how unique this lake is. It's so steep that if you drowned every government official in the world in Baikal, its surface would rise only three millimeters... We're proud of Baikal. But how far does that diverge from reality? Millions of tons of waste need to be removed, but there's no money. The Chinese are building hotels, but there are no sewage systems. You can't skimp on the environment. And really, there's no need to invent anything here: there's existing legislation, and it must be followed. Laws need to be enforced, just like in other countries."

According to a NeMoskva reader from Irkutsk, the meeting took place on the very outskirts of the city.

"Finding this place and getting there required a whole quest," she says. "But thousands of people from Irkutsk and the surrounding region gathered for it."
It was November 4, 2017. National Unity Day passed in the shadows, but that desire for change still warms somewhere inside.

I came for the first time on October 1, 2017. Before the rally, I inspected Sovetskikh Kosmonavtov Avenue, where crumbling wooden houses stand. There, I met a man carrying buckets of water.

“It’s a huge joke that it’s called ‘prospect’, and even ‘cosmonauts’,” — the politician commented.

Speaking at the rally, Navalny recalled that of the 6,000 houses in Arkhangelsk, more than 4,000 are wooden. Of these, 1,500 are considered dilapidated.

"There's a sign there that says 'the house is protected by the state,' and it's in ruins. This isn't stability, this is rock bottom."

He returned for the second time on July 15, 2020, to support his comrade, Ruslan Shaveddinov, in court after he was sent to serve his mandatory military service on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

"Military service has become a mere prison mechanism. A form of imprisonment."

Before going to court, as per tradition, I took a swim in the city’s reservoir, the White Sea.

"An idiot's dream has come true. The few residents of Severodvinsk, strolling along the beach in the rain, were kind enough not to call for emergency psychiatric help."

23 September 2017

Over a thousand people attended the rally, but the microphone malfunctioned due to police jamming, making it difficult to communicate. As a result, during the first part of Navalny's speech, people only heard fragments of his speech. 

"They're jamming the radio microphone... They think that without a radiophone I won't be able to... say all those words that I want to tell you."

Residents of Vladivostok came to the politician’s aid and chanted the simplest words: Putin is a thief, Miklushevsky [the governor of Primorsky Krai] is a thief.

"Surely an honest man must come to power in our country someday? And I want to be that first honest man."

After the rally, Navalny attempted to dine with his team on Russky Island, but the restaurant's waiters and patrons prevented him from doing so in peace.

"Dinner turned into a rally. First, I answered questions from the waiters (they're very knowledgeable about politics!), then some businessmen dining nearby approached. They talked about how business was being stifled and how it was impossible to work honestly. Everyone agreed that the government needed to change." — Navalny wrote on social media.

He first came to Saratov on March 25, 2017. About 500 people showed up for his meeting. About 30 football fans attempted to cause a disturbance, using a megaphone to urge people "not to trust the promises of a traitor." They had to be subdued by police and riot police.

Navalny shared a secret: police officers are his electorate.

"They often take me to the police station. They put me in a car, and then start complaining about my life, how everything is bad, how little money I have. Then they lock me in a cell and say, 'Sorry, Alexey.' And then they turn around and continue complaining through the bars."

He came for the second time on December 1, 2017. When he and a thousand supporters approached the rally site in Hyde Park, ten "patriots" in camouflage stood by the stage, listening to songs about love for the homeland.

"The funniest thing is that it's a police major in uniform who announces them. I've never seen anything like that before, it's really funny."

Navalny wasn't given the microphone. As a result, he and his supporters moved 300 meters away and spoke from a children's slide.

At some point he was informed that the major with the microphone had left.

"The major left? — the politician rejoiced. “And Putin will leave, guys!”

15 September 2017

Murmansk became the first city from which Navalny began his election tour across Russia.

Over 2500 people attended the authorized rally. Among them were many high school students, despite teachers threatening them with problems the day before, including warnings from the FSB and difficulties with university admissions.

"You can also put twos in your report card and give out a double portion of homework," — Navalny suggested the idea. 

He was indignant about why Moscow was spending 12 billion rubles on tree lighting, while in the center of Murmansk there were peeling buildings.

"Well, you can't drag everything into one region; something has to stay here too."

He promised to "very much love" those public organizations that would criticize him once he became president, because he considers them a guarantee that a dictator won't come to power again.

He spoke a lot about corruption and the fate of corrupt officials.   

"I will bring them to justice. Because they didn't just steal some abstract billions—they stole our future."

People did not disperse despite the pouring rain.

Navalny first visited Nizhny Novgorod on March 6, 2017, for the opening of his headquarters. He had to hold his meeting with volunteers and supporters outside, as the owner of the building where the event was to be held refused access. Despite the rain, Alexei spent over an hour answering questions from the crowd.  

"The Nizhny Novgorod region is a typical example of how corruption has driven a region into poverty. Nizhny Novgorod has a notorious reputation as a city ruled by thugs. The city looks like Mamai walked through it." - the politician said during his speech.

Alexei Navalny's second visit to Nizhny Novgorod took place in November 2017 as part of a major election campaign. It took nearly three months to secure approval for the rally. Authorities granted permission to hold it in a park on the outskirts of the city. Over a thousand people attended the meeting with Navalny. The politician's speech lasted nearly two hours in temperatures of -5 degrees Celsius.

«Say hello to the State Department" — these are the signs that picketers held when Alexei Navalny opened his headquarters in Samara on March 3, 2017.  

«People are brought in for money to protect Merkushkin's house. (then mayor of the Samara region) for 300 million rubles"," the politician responded.  

He told those gathered what he considered the main problems of their region: the destruction of the city's historic center, the merger of universities, and the monopolization of business.  

«For the current regime—corrupt, perverse, immoral—revolution is simply the word of truth. When a governor is elected here, when the courts judge properly, it will be a revolution.».  

In December of that year, an unauthorized Navalny rally took place in Samara. Authorities refused to approve the event because a belly dancing championship was taking place in the city. 

On the night of December 3, police seized the stage for the meeting and detained eight members of the headquarters team.

9 Dec 2017

As part of his election campaign, Alexei Navalny held a rally in Novokuznetsk. Authorities approved the event on the outskirts of the city.  

At the same time, in the center of Novokuznetsk, the administration organized the "Bogatyrskaya Sila" festival, featuring free tea, a prize draw, and a dumpling-eating contest. 

In his speech, the politician noted the importance of the Kemerovo region for the Russian economy, but also pointed out the large gap between real wage levels and official statistics.  

"The Kemerovo Region can hardly be called prosperous, although it is an industrial region that could be rich. Natural resources should work for the people, but right now, only oligarchs who don't pay taxes profit from them. If they were forced to pay taxes, the budget would have money that could be spent on workers' salaries, education, and healthcare."

On March 20, 2017, at the opening of his Barnaul headquarters, Alexei Navalny was doused with green paint for the first time. Unknown «"burst" a balloon filled with liquid in Navalny's face, after which he fled in a car in the courtyard of the Altai Krai administration.  

The regional administration immediately denied this. Andrey Lyapunov, head of the information policy department, told journalists that a pass system exists for entry into the courtyard of the governor's office and the Altai Krai government. "The vehicle in question did not enter the administration building or pass through security. Therefore, the information is false." — said Lyapunov.

Navalny's adventures in Barnaul didn't end there: the owner of the site where the meeting with volunteers was planned backed out of the arrangement just an hour beforehand. The presidential candidate was forced to use a huge snowdrift as a podium for his speech.  

«Our platform is about fighting poverty, fighting inequality, fighting corruption, not about the liberal opposition. We have over 80% support on every point of our platform.».  

The politician's second visit to Barnaul took place on December 8. Despite the cold weather, several hundred residents gathered for the rally. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half.  

«"Local authorities hate the entire population. A region that should only be getting richer is in dire economic straits. A salary of 14–15 rubles is standard. In rural areas, it's 11." And the people pay in kind—United Russia's vote share here is among the lowest."

In April 2017, Alexei Navalny came to Ivanovo for the opening of his campaign headquarters. Around 300 people came to meet the presidential candidate. The meeting was held at the Tourist Hotel.

Among those gathered were NOD members who tried to interfere with the politician's speech.  

Speaking at the meeting, Navalny stated that in the Ivanovo region, where 43 industrial enterprises were operating, only one remained. He also recalled Dmitry Medvedev's secret dacha in Plyos, which was revealed during an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Foundation:

«It's easy to talk about corruption here; this is Plyos. You can't convince anyone here that there's any real industrial policy—there isn't one. There's only the embezzlement of what's left of the Soviet Union.». 

 Navalny shared with those gathered the story of how he spent 15 days of arrest for the March 26 rally in the same cell with Sanya, a native of the Ivanovo region, who had managed to tell him a lot about the region.

On October 27, the politician visited Ivanovo for the second time this year and held a rally. According to local media estimates, the event was already attended by approximately 500 people.  

A couple of days after the rally, it was reported that a teacher in Ivanovo had been fired after scolding ninth-graders for supporting Navalny.

The first time I came was on March 18, 2017, for the headquarters opening. About 200 people came to meet with the volunteers.

«When normal people are in charge of the country, everything will change. This will translate into concrete things: salaries, healthcare, education."  

On November 5, 2017, Navalny again visited Kemerovo to participate in a rally that the authorities tried to prevent. 

The meeting was planned for Arts Square, but a few days before Navalny's arrival, the regional court revoked the permit, and the rally was moved to Hyde Park, 10 kilometers from the city center. The buses that would have transported activists there were removed from service. The authorities also attempted to divert attention from the meeting with Navalny with entertainment events.

The protest took place that evening, however, with about 500 people taking part. 

«Your role is a hundred times more important than mine. It is you who can defeat censorship and falsification, and together we can convince the public that an alternative is possible.».

I first visited in the summer of 2016—I came with my family to explore the city. I strolled through the Novgorod Kremlin and watched a beach volleyball competition. Locals came up to me to chat and take photos. 

On May 28, 2017, he attended the opening of the headquarters. It was located in the city center, in an ancient building with columns. "This is our most incredible headquarters," Navalny wrote. 

About 200 people showed up. Navalny started the meeting on time and made sure to shake everyone's hand. They spoke for over an hour.

They asked about his injured eye (in April, Navalny had green paint splashed in his face). He said it was healing, but his vision was still poor.

He also answered the question of what freedom means to him. 

"I want everyone to leave everyone alone. I want a businessman to know for sure that no one can come to him and say, 'Get out of the office, we're tearing you down.' Or, 'You owe us.' <> I want anyone to be able to say whatever they want online <> For me, freedom means not being afraid of the police."  

Navalny named people's lack of faith that the situation in the country can be changed as the main enemy of change.

21 May 2018

Yoshkar-Ola became the smallest city where Navalny opened his campaign headquarters: at that time, approximately 280 people lived there.

"The authorities believe that cities like these are the foundation of everything: 'You can make a fuss in Moscow all you want, but there, in the heart of Russia, in Yoshkar-Ola, for example, there are people who will always support us—Putin, Medvedev, and so on. Because there, they believe in everything, they're always silent, they always agree.' Do you agree with everything here? My sense of disagreement and dissatisfaction is growing into certainty."

The opening of the headquarters was conditional, since by the day of the politician's arrival it had still not been possible to rent premises.

More than 100 volunteers attended the meeting with Navalny. Answering their questions, he stated his opposition to the consolidation of regions and the elimination of republics.

"If we continue to consolidate regions now, we'll end up with federal subjects the size of gigantic countries, where it's impossible to get through to the governor."

After meeting with volunteers, the politician went to a press conference. Because only one journalist showed up, the format was changed to an interview.

21 May 2018

The location of the meeting with Navalny was kept secret because, at the request of FSB officers, the owners of several premises were forced to terminate their leases.

"If we don't win, then we'll all be in for a slap," the politician told his more than 100 supporters. "Because there are no prospects whatsoever: we live in poverty, and our children will live in poverty. We're simply being strangled by this corruption and the leadership, who want to be monarchs and sit in power for 20 years."

After the meeting, a local violinist, who had been detained at a rally in support of Navalny two months earlier, played for the crowd. A kindergarten teacher, fired for participating in the rally and losing 7800 rubles in wages, also spoke on stage. 

Summing up, Navalny once again reminded that the main obstacle to victory is a lack of self-confidence. 

"At every meeting, I give this speech, and then someone comes up to me and says, 'Alexey, you said everything perfectly, I applauded you. But tell me honestly, without witnesses: you understand that nothing can be changed, right?' And I truly understand that everything can be changed."

On May 29, 2017, I attended the opening of the headquarters, the 43rd. Unlike in other cities where the politician was obstructed, here everything proceeded peacefully. 

It was Monday morning, but about 250 people showed up for the meeting. Navalny shook everyone's hand at the entrance.

He was asked how the electoral legislation should be changed.

"We will absolutely rule out the possibility of preventing people from participating in elections. We will rule out the possibility of holding office for more than eight years. Observers must have absolute access to everything. Without this, any president, even a normal one, will usurp power," he responded. 

They talked about poverty.

"The country convinces itself every day that it deserves poverty, that we'll never live a normal life. There's no rational explanation for why we're guaranteed poverty," Navalny said.  

If he loses the presidential election, he promised to double his efforts. "This is our life, we only have one, and we want change as quickly as possible," he explained.

At the end, Navalny took photos with everyone who wanted them: this took almost as much time as the meeting itself.

March 5 2017

Shortly before Navalny's arrival in Tatarstan, the licenses of two local banks were revoked. The scandal reverberated throughout Russia, and depositors left without their money staged a protest march, demanding a meeting with the opposition politician.

According to Navalny, bank failures are also a consequence of corruption and theft. Therefore, he suggested that the victims politicize their demands.

"Use me! Threaten to create the largest Navalny headquarters in the republic. Demand the confiscation of the illegally built palaces I described in our investigation and distribution of money to the victims."

Around 50 journalists attended Navalny's press conference: a huge number by regional standards.

There were too many volunteers who wanted to meet with the politician during the opening of his headquarters: when the room was filled to capacity, there were still about 200 people outside. Navalny asked them to return in an hour and spoke again.

The first city where Navalny opened his election headquarters.

He arrived on February 4, 2017, four days before the verdict was announced in the Kirovles case.

"Let's not be coy: the verdict will be guilty," the politician declared at a meeting with volunteers. "The Kremlin will do everything to prevent me from running. But our campaign is aimed precisely at forcing them to register me as a candidate."

On May 28, he stopped by here on his way from Kaluga to Pskov. He stopped by the headquarters and strolled along Rubinstein Street, causing a stir among passersby.

In February 2019, he presented the "Smart Voting" strategy to activists determined to participate in the city elections. Over a thousand people attended the meeting with the politician.

"I've come to conspire with you," he addressed them. "If the authorities ban candidates en masse and stage fraudulent elections, St. Petersburg will witness such unprecedented protests that Beglov and the others won't be able to fight off even with their shovels."

Asked if the multiple police cars and paddy wagon on the street bothered him, Navalny replied, "There's a lot of police near all the buildings where I'm located. That could be a good thing."

On May 26, 2017, Alexei Navalny opened his campaign headquarters in Tambov. He was unable to secure a space for the headquarters. After 17 rental site refusals, the meeting was held in the hangar of a wholesale warehouse owned by one of his supporters. Around 150 people came to meet Navalny.  

"The local authorities turned out to be so pathetic and wretched that, not understanding how to disrupt our meeting, they ended up cutting off the power to the entire base," Navalny wrote about the meeting in Tambov.

On October 29 of that year, an unauthorized rally took place in Tambov, attended by over a thousand Navalny supporters. The event was held on private property provided by a local businessman. The authorities tried their best to divert the city's attention from Navalny's rally to various entertainment events. That day, a KVN (Club of the Funny and Inventive) competition was unexpectedly organized in the center of Tambov, with students from two of the largest local universities herded into it. The street where the rally was held was closed for repairs. Incidentally, the repairs were never completed.

On May 27, 2017, Navalny opened his headquarters in Tula. The city set a campaign record of sorts: 28 property owners refused to rent the politician a spacious venue for a meeting with volunteers.

The event was held at Alexei Navalny's headquarters, where approximately 150 of his supporters gathered. The presidential candidate cited the fight against corruption and the right to hold officials accountable as key points of his campaign platform. For example, the politician had questions for Tula Region Governor Alexei Dyumin. Putin's former bodyguard became the region's governor in 2016. Almost immediately after the election, his namesake acquired an apartment in Moscow worth approximately 700 million rubles. Navalny noted that Dyumin has been a government official since 1994, but his official income does not allow him to afford such an apartment.  

"This current government constantly talks about the 90s. For 18 years, the government hasn't changed, and during that entire time, colossal amounts of petrodollars have flowed into our country, but neither I nor many of you can afford a 300-square-meter apartment. I'm absolutely certain that the country can live normally with today's income. I see enough people here who could re-convince Tula within three months. Because, in reality, this entire government is based on inertia."

On April 23, Alexei Navalny arrived in Vologda to open his 24th election headquarters.

The headquarters was located in the very center of the city, near the regional government, the legislative assembly, the city council, the FSB headquarters, and the prosecutor's office. A space was found just a week before the opening and quickly renovated, but the meeting with volunteers was still held elsewhere.  

About 200 people attended the meeting. The discussion began with the topic of corruption. Navalny cited the Zenit Arena stadium in St. Petersburg, which cost 40 billion rubles, as an example.  

"They spent six years building it, and what do we see? They're replacing the lawn with plastic mats, and they're putting down oilcloth on the roof because it leaks. This isn't just a government of thieves, but also of incompetent idiots. This was their main target."

Afterwards, they discussed how Russia can move away from its dependence on raw materials and what its foreign policy will be under President Navalny. 

"My foreign policy is to fix the roads in Vologda and raise wages in the Vologda region. I'll be concerned about Aleppo, but I won't give a penny there while we're in ruins."

On April 22, 2017, Alexei Navalny opened his campaign headquarters in central Kostroma. Despite organizers' concerns, the event proceeded without incident. 

More than 100 volunteers and several journalists attended the meeting with the politician, for whom Alexei Navalny held a short press conference. 

«In these elections, we will be fighting less against Putin and more against people's lack of faith.».  

The politician also spoke about the country's poor roads, the low standard of living of most Russians, corruption, official theft, and the lies of official media.  

«Why can't we solve the road construction issue in Russia, with the exception of Moscow? Are we a cursed nation? Are we a black hole where nothing works, or are our builders under a spell? The answer to you and your Putin is no. Russia can live a normal and prosperous life.».  

This wasn't Navalny's first visit to Kostroma. In 2015, he came here to support representatives of the PARNAS party, including Ilya Yashin, in the regional parliamentary elections.

On April 22, 2017, the opening of Russian presidential candidate Alexei Navalny's campaign headquarters took place in Yaroslavl. Around 200 people attended the meeting with the politician, which took place in the "Neft" cinema club.  

In his speech, Navalny spoke about pressing issues facing the country: the quality of roads, low wages, and corruption.  

«Russia has always been poor. People are used to squalor and poverty. They say, "We've never lived well, so there's no need to start." But we'll prove to everyone that it's time.». 

Answering questions from those gathered, the politician stated that “The country still has enough resources, there is just no need to steal and squander them"He also insisted on limiting the president's powers. 

«The four-year term must be reinstated, with no more than two consecutive terms without the possibility of returning to office. I also advocate removing the authority to appoint judges and the ability to manipulate the Duma and the media.».

On May 28, 2017, Alexei Navalny arrived in Pskov for the opening of his headquarters. Around 200 people attended the meeting. Answering questions from those gathered, Navalny spoke of the need to cut the "military-police" budget due to high levels of corruption. He also said he had "no respect" for the Constitution, which allows Putin "to remain in power for 17 years."

Navalny said that the meeting participants asked him whether he had already managed to see anything in Pskov.
“I saw something from the car window, but I couldn’t make it out because my head was shaking in all directions—the roads in Pskov are simply monstrous,” Navalny said.

"What news can we find about the Pskov region now? The lowest standard of living, the lowest incomes, and yet the most popular news story is about Governor Turchak's villa in Nice." 

 On December 2 of that year, Navalny held an authorized rally in Pskov, attended by approximately 400 people.

"In the Pskov region, we've won all our lawsuits against the city and the administration. I don't know what happened there, but let's applaud these people who are doing this! We have a ton of court rulings in our favor, which shows that even they're fed up with all this!" - Navalny said at the rally.

Alexei Navalny first visited Kaluga on June 11, 2015, to convince local residents to participate in the united opposition primaries.

Several hundred people attended the meeting with Alexei, including activists from the National Liberation Movement. Throughout the meeting, they attempted to disrupt Navalny's interaction with voters. 

The NOD members demanded that the "blockade survivor" be allowed to speak, interrupting Navalny with shouts of "Let the granny through!" "Really, finally, let the granny through! NOD members, not NOD members, provocateurs, not provocateurs, come on over, let's talk to everyone. After all, this is an open meeting," Navalny said from the podium, inviting the elderly woman onto the stage. The "blockade survivor" demanded that the Kaluga Region governor not be humiliated and accused the assembled crowd of having been "bribed by the Americans for two thousand rubles."

It was later revealed that the "blockade survivor"'s name was Violetta Fomina; she organizes children's parties in Kaluga and had previously been spotted at a rally by opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov.

Speaking at the event, Navalny asked Kaluga residents to be more conscious about the political future of the city and region.None of the opposition parties will be promoting their candidates this time: "People are registering for these primaries. You watch them, and you decide through direct voting who will be first, second, and third. There really is a wide choice." 

On May 27, 2018, Navalny returned to Kaluga. The occasion was the opening of his campaign headquarters. The event proceeded calmly, and the authorities did not interfere. A total of 120 people gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn.  

At a meeting with his supporters, Alexei spoke about his election program and stated that Russians must believe that "right now, normal life can exist in Russia and there are no obstacles to this."  

On April 15, 2017, FBK founder and Progress Party leader Alexei Navalny opened his campaign headquarters in Chelyabinsk. Several days earlier, the headquarters' coordinator, Alexei Tabalov, was sentenced to 10 days in jail for participating in an anti-corruption rally. 

A meeting with volunteers, attended by approximately 300 people, took place at the Continent Gallery. The presidential candidate spoke to his supporters about minimum wages, dilapidated roads, corruption, and the poor environment.  

"When we win, I promise I'll jail everyone who can't explain their source of income. I believe we can win. How many people would have come to a meeting with United Russia? They even herd people to memorial rallies. We are the political force that can win." 

That same day, Navalny was invited to speak at a rally against the construction of the Tominsky Mining and Processing Plant. He supported the activists' demands and called for voting for any politician who opposes the plant. 

The politician visited Chelyabinsk for the second time on November 26, 2017, to participate in a government-sanctioned rally. One of the main topics of the presidential candidate's speech was the city's environmental situation.

According to official data, 1,5 people took part in the rally.

As part of the presidential campaign, he visited twice, on June 9 and November 24, 2017.

In June, we opened our 45th headquarters. More than 800 people attended. “I have a lot of friends here, and the meeting with the volunteers was just fantastic.”- wrote Navalny in June. "A crucial city with democratic traditions," he said of Perm.

"What is our main enemy? Lack of faith in ourselves and our abilities. This is something ingrained in the minds of many citizens—that we are doomed to live in poverty forever. The task of the headquarters is to defeat it."   сказал politician.

The next meeting was planned for September, but officials "went nuts" to prevent it. Navalny finally arrived in Perm in November. The meeting took place on private property, in the courtyard of a residential building. Alexey outlined his program in detail. "I will put all corrupt officials behind bars. There will be show trials. I will stop the war," Navalny promised.

According to various estimates, up to 2800 people stood outside and listened to the politician for an hour and a half, despite the freezing weather. Many were pensioners and young people.

During that visit, Alexei Navalny took a photo against the backdrop of the famous "Happiness is just around the corner" sign on the Perm embankment.

Navalny's visit to Rostov-on-Don was cancelled twice. The first time, Alexei was scheduled to arrive in April 2017, for the opening of his Rostov headquarters. But on March 26, the politician was detained in Moscow during an anti-corruption protest he had organized and sentenced to 15 days in jail. 

Navalny's allies, Leonid Volkov, Kira Yarmysh, and others, arrived in Rostov instead. Participants in the events recall that the opening location and time were changed for various reasons, including when security forces announced that the Railway Workers' Palace of Culture had been mined. 

Just as during the opening of the previous headquarters – in Volgograd – drunken men in Cossack uniforms and "NODovites" tried to disrupt the event, surrounding the Hermitage Hotel, where members of Navalny's team were staying. 

The second "no-show" occurred during Alexei's election campaign at the end of 2017. Rostov activists repeatedly contacted district administrations in an attempt to arrange a meeting with Navalny, only to be denied with identical, meaningless language. They picketed the city administration building, but to no avail, and filed lawsuits in district courts, losing.  

And then, suddenly, a miracle occurred: a young judge in the city's Proletarsky District ruled that the district administration had illegally denied permission to hold the rally. The activists rejoiced, but it turned out to be in vain: when they went to the administration the next day, they were again denied permission to hold the meeting, in violation of all laws. 

Even the Regional Court's ruling on the activists' side didn't help: the meeting never took place. And the activists never remembered the writ of execution ruling that the refusal to "hold a public event" was illegal.

On September 30, 2017, Navalny's latest rally tour began in Orenburg in preparation for the presidential elections. The meeting was in jeopardy: the day before, Alexei detained in Moscow, but he was released that evening, and he returned. The rally took place in a residential area, in a park near the Dzerzhinsky monument—the authorities hadn't approved a location in the center.

The activists were "shepherded" by the police, public sector employees and students were threatened with dismissal and expulsion for participating, the weather was cold and damp, but still, according to various estimates, between 1,5 and 3 people showed up. It turned out to be one of the largest political events in Orenburg's recent history. There were also provocateurs: at the beginning of the rally, they shouted and blew horns.  

Navalny recalled that the Orenburg region is “the fourth oil-producing region in Russia.” 

— I have to open my eyes and see people here in mink coats, with leopard collars, with cigars... You know, like they portray Texans in cartoons.

"...Turn around, for fuck's sake!" Alexey pointed to the house across from the park. "You're one of the country's top four oil-producing regions. Look at this house—when was the last time it had a major overhaul? Never. Never!"

Alexey spent most of the meeting answering questions from rally participants.

A rally in preparation for the presidential election took place on October 28, 2017, in pouring rain. Despite the bad weather and the "ridiculous tricks of local authorities," as Navalny wrote, people came to the puddle-filled Mercury Stadium.

During the rally, Kursk schools scheduled mandatory discos for high school students, apparently to "protect immature minds from negative influences."

"We love Russia and we fight against those people who have latched onto it and see it as a money-making ground," Navalny said at the rally.

He invited the visiting United Russia member to debate: 

"You shouldn't have joined United Russia. Join these wonderful people, because they want the same thing you want—order, right?" 

“Of course,” the United Russia member replied.

"We were all thoroughly soaked, of course, but it still turned out great. The city here is in terrible condition, and the region too. While driving from Belgorod, we saw sheer devastation on both sides of the road. Maybe that's why so many people came to a region where, supposedly, there's 'zero political activity,'" Navalny wrote.

During this trip, the minibus carrying the headquarters team was stopped by traffic police. But the officer ultimately asked Navalny for an autograph.

On November 12, 2017, I came to Smolensk for a rally as part of a campaign tour. The authorities did everything they could to keep the crowds as low as possible, even blocking roads. But several hundred people still showed up.

"I've never held a rally in such a formal setting. Here in Smolensk, I'm speaking right next to the fortress wall on the Dnieper embankment. Gorgeous," Navalny wrote, posting a selfie and inviting everyone to a meeting.

The rally was memorable for the appearance on stage of Georgy Grets, the rector of the Smolensk Physical Education Academy and a figure in Navalny's old investigation into violations in public procurement. He wanted to "get even" with Navalny and prove he wasn't corrupt. A small "battle" ensued. "...The verbal knockout he received from Navalny and his supporters was completely predictable," local participants said.

"We had a little argument, and it was pretty funny. The guy was saying that all students in Smolensk get housing. I thought everyone would die laughing," Alexey later wrote.

He answered questions from those gathered and asked questions himself.

— Does this bunch of people who live by stealing have the right to speak on behalf of the entire country?

- No!

— Who is more, us or them?

The material uses photographs by Evgeny Feldman, Natalia Rybakova, Irina Sharova, Pavel Dmitriev, Fitzli-Putsli, Eugene O'Feldy, as well as from the websites ulpressa.ru, navalny.com, zamorochkin.ru, volzsky.ru and from social networks.