[Global Focus] Navalny's Wife Rapidly Emerges as Russian Presidential Candidate in Place of Imprisoned Husband

From Housewife to Russian Opposition Presidential Candidate
Led Large-Scale Navalny Release Protest Late Last Month
Showed Quick-Wittedness During Navalny Poisoning Attempt Incident

On the 17th of last month, Alexei Navalny (right) and his wife Yulia Navalnaya (left) boarding a flight from Germany to Russia [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] Since the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, political interest in his wife Yulia Navalnaya (photo) has also been increasing in Russia. If Navalny's imprisonment is prolonged, there is speculation that she may run as a candidate in the upcoming Russian parliamentary elections in September and the 2024 Russian presidential election in place of her husband.

According to the BBC on the 14th (local time), Russian women are posting photos of themselves wearing red dresses on social media (SNS) to support Navalny's release and his wife Yulia. Yulia was arrested by police after leading a protest for Navalny's release in Moscow on the 31st of last month but was soon released. She is currently believed to be staying in Germany to avoid surveillance by Russian authorities.

The reason she is gaining attention both inside and outside Russia is that she is expected to emerge as an opposition leader in place of Navalny ahead of the Russian parliamentary elections in September. Navalny, who was sentenced to three and a half years by a Russian court on the 2nd, faces imprisonment for about two years and eight months excluding his previous house arrest period. If the sentence is confirmed, Yulia is likely to run as a candidate in this election as well as the 2024 presidential election instead of Navalny.

Until last August, when her husband Navalny fell critically ill due to an assassination attempt presumed to be carried out by Russian intelligence agencies, Yulia had lived a life unrelated to politics. After graduating from university, she worked as a banker and met Navalny. After becoming pregnant with their first daughter, she devoted herself entirely to housework as a full-time homemaker. However, when her husband fell critically ill, she held an impromptu press conference on the hospital stairs, boldly exposing her husband's condition to domestic and international media, and even sent a letter directly to President Vladimir Putin urging the transfer of her husband.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.