Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, has called for people to join mass election day protests against President Vladimir Putin. In a video on YouTube, Navalnaya on Wednesday urged Russians to gather at polling stations on March 17 and spoil their ballots or vote against Putin, who is almost certain to win a fifth term as president.
Navalnaya promised to continue the work of her husband, Putin’s toughest opponent, who died last month in an Arctic prison colony. Navalny had backed ideas of simultaneous election protests in one of his final posts on social media, for people to turn out en masse at the same time on election day in cities across the country.
Navalnaya has made high-profile political appearances since Navalny’s death, including meeting United States President Joe Biden, addressing the Munich Security Conference, and speaking at the European Parliament.
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