The daughter of an opponent of Putin’s rule is following in the footsteps of her father, whose death was announced on Friday. Express portrait of a young woman with a temper.
On Friday, February 16, Russian adversary Alexei Navalny died at the age of 47 in the Arctic penal colony, where he was serving a 29-year sentence. Since then, everyone has agreed that his daughter, Dasha, will continue the fight alongside her mother, Yulia Navalnaya. Because Vladimir Putin’s former number one enemy was never alone in his political “war” against the Russian president’s regime. He leaves behind his family, first his wife Iulia, but also his daughter Daria (better known as Dasha) and his 16-year-old son Zakhar.
23-year-old Dasha Navalnaya is already one of the rare voices of opposition in Russia. And this, despite the fact that he lives in the United States, where since 2019 he studied social psychology and political science at Stanford University in California. It is said that despite the threats, he is determined to return one day and settle in Moscow. “Moscow is the best city, it has everything,” he told the German daily Der Spiegel in 2021. I also miss the people living in Russia. They are so different from Californians. Russians understand that life is not ideal, but we can and should try to improve society. I like this.”
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Media figure
Today, be it in the media, for example on CNN, or on her social networks, the Russian woman does not hesitate to call on her fellow citizens to mobilize. His goal is the same as his father’s, to overthrow Vladimir Putin. In his LinkedIn bio, he describes himself: “I look forward to deepening my understanding of the complex mechanisms that drive political change around the world. My goal is not only to contribute to academic discourse, but also to actively participate in the creation of policies that reflect the values of freedom, equality, and integrity. I have experience in data analysis, research, public relations and publicity.”
Despite her young age, Dasha Navalnaya already has experience with the general public, who has seen her several times. In June 2021, he himself received the “For Courage” award on behalf of his father, awarded by 25 human rights organizations and awarded that year to political prisoners in Russia and Belarus. He then explained that his father, imprisoned in Russia, had written to him in preparation for his first speech at a major public event. “In his letter, my father asks me today to present this award to every prisoner in Russia and Belarus. He writes that many of them are in a much worse situation than him, because they are not so famous or popular, but they should know that they are not alone, nor forgotten,” he said in English. perfect for a young woman. time: 20 years old. Before telling the story, he was touched by how the police first entered the family’s apartment when he was 10 years old. “To end this speech, I would like to repeat something that my father once said. “Russia deserves to be free and happy, and it will be.” And I firmly believe that too.”
“Normal Childhood”
A few months after this sensational entry into the international arena, Dasha Navalnaya gave her first major interview. Spiegel. Despite the political commitment of his father, nicknamed the “black beast” of the Kremlin, he explained to the German media that he had a “normal” childhood. “I was born in a normal family, I had a normal childhood. When I was 10 years old, my father was arrested for the first time, and that was news. But I talked to my parents and learned that even though the police didn’t like us, Dad was doing the right thing. I have always been proud of him, even with the fears for his life and ours. He wants the best for his country. He wants me and my younger brother to have a good future in this country.”
The self-proclaimed ‘daddy’s girl’ also spoke about her farewell to her father before he was jailed in a penal colony in Russia. “I hugged him and he said, “Learn and do what you want.” That’s what he always says. “Do what you want.”
A day before this interview, Dasha Navalnaya gave a speech, this time in Strasbourg, in front of the European Parliament, on December 15, 2021, to receive the Sakharov Prize on behalf of her father. remember that flirting with a dictator is never effective,” he criticized. The empty chair next to him symbolized the absence of his father. “Years of flirting with Putin have made him understand that to increase his popularity, he might as well start a war,” he said, referring to the sound of boots already being heard on the Ukrainian border. Insightful, obviously. Two and a half months later, on February 24, 2022, Russia launched its grand invasion of Kiev.
Source: Le Figaro
