4 June 1976
In a military town Butyn, born in the Moscow region Alexey Navalny. Today he would have turned 49.
When you have everything and you do something, people find it very strange.
The politician celebrated his last, 47th, birthday in solitary confinement. Vladimir colony.
Today is my birthday. My plan for the past year was to avoid becoming bitter, embittered, or losing my easygoing demeanor—that's where failure begins.
Of course, I'd rather not wake up in this hovel, but have breakfast with my family, receive kisses on the cheek from my children, unwrap presents, and say, "Wow, this is exactly what I dreamed of." But life is such that social progress and a better future are achieved only if a certain number of people are willing to pay for their right to hold convictions. The more such people there are, the less each person pays. And the day will surely come when speaking the truth and defending justice will become commonplace and not at all dangerous in Russia.
Until that day comes, I see my situation not as a heavy burden or a yoke, but simply as work that needs to be done. Every job has its unpleasant part, right? And right now, I have the unpleasant part of my favorite job. (June 4, 2023, Navalny)
That day, protests in his support, "You Are Not Alone," took place across Russia and around the world. More than 100 people were detained in the regions, including those holding signs reading "Happy Birthday, Lesha."
In 2020, Navalny celebrated his "second birthday" on August 20. That day, an attempt was made to poison him with a Novichok-type nerve agent, but he survived.
The day they were killing me, but for some reason I didn't kill myself
This is what it means to unsuccessfully apply Novichok to your underwear.
The fact that I survived made the Kremlin so upset that they first sentenced me to 3,5 years, and then to 9 years.
Last year, on the 48th anniversary of Navalny's birth—and the first since his death—memorial events took place in Russia and abroad.
Two women were detained right at the Borisovskoye Cemetery, where he is buried. Flowers, posters reading "Thank you, Alexey" and "Happy birthday, hero!" and even vanilla ice cream cones were placed on his grave.
In the regions, the politician's supporters were unable to lay flowers at the monument to political prisoners due to police prohibitions (some were detained). People brought bouquets to makeshift memorials that sprang up in February after his death.
The winner is not the one who remains biologically alive. The winner is the one who, while in hell, does not become part of it. (Archpriest Andrei Kordochkin, June 4, 2024, Berlin, St. Mary's Church)
Today, Navalny's supporters launched a new TV channel, "Russia of the Future," for Russians. This was announced on June 3. Yulia Navalnaya. It will be broadcast via the Svoboda satellite package, which is available throughout most of Russia.
Don't think they're all-powerful. Someday, you'll be the one who proudly tells your children and grandchildren: "You know, I once saved Russia."