Alexei Navalny Letters From Prison

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Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian activist and opposition leader, has been influential in the fight against the Russian government’s oppressive policies. His letters from prison and public statements shed light on various issues concerning Russia’s political landscape and judicial system.

1st Letter from Alexei Navalny in Prison

I have sensational news for you, my friends. The “psycho” (a derogatory term for a psychiatric inmate) started speaking. It’s a fantastic story.

In short, a few months ago, they reported on “Russian Radio” that a robot centaur was invented in Russia. The news sounded so absurd that I got excited. Later, when the delegation of cops came to take me to work, I told them that the radio had announced the invention of a robot centaur, so let it do the job.

His humorous attempt to avoid work by mentioning the robot centaur to the prison guards.

Of course, this led to a ten-minute dialogue. The cops complained that I didn’t comply with their demands, and they would punish me for it. I kept mentioning the robot centaur and that the radio wouldn’t lie. The topic of the robot centaur irritated the cops greatly, so I continued to bring it up in any conversation for a couple of days, even during the disciplinary commission, where I told the higher-ups that the labor of convicts would no longer be needed because robot centaurs would be introduced throughout the national economy soon. But then I got tired of it and forgot about it all.

The consequences of his joke and the curtailment of radio privileges in the psychiatric prison.

Several months passed. In the psychiatric prison, they completely cut off all the radio except for reading the Constitution, mandatory educational reading, classical music, and Putin’s speeches in the evenings. Recently, I was walking in the recreational yard. Everything was as usual: four steps forward, four steps back. I memorized a poem, and the “psycho” was howling wildly in the neighboring yard. There are many recreational yards, but they always bring him to the one next to mine so that I would stay energized. And suddenly, the “psycho” stops howling and speaks in a human voice:

— Neighbor, neighbor!

— What? — I say.

He says:

— Listen, they turned off the radio, no more music or news. Do you remember you refused to work because they talked about the robot centaur on the radio? DO YOU THINK IT COULD BE BECAUSE OF THAT?

Alexei Navalny on the Transfer of Heavy Weapons to the National Guard

To put it mildly, the story of transferring heavy weapons to the National Guard must be considered. Everything was done quickly and without any public discussion. The result could be catastrophic.

It is clear that after the Prihodko revolt, Putin was scared and decided to punish his security forces. I can vividly imagine that conversation.

“Why the hell did the damn cook easily capture Rostov and almost reach Moscow?” the President shouted. “Where were your praised guards, Vitya? Why didn’t anyone stop those scumbags?”

“I’m to blame, Vladimir Vladimirovich,” General Zolotov muttered in response. “But how can we stop them? The cook has tanks… And my fighters are armed with rubber sticks.”

“And what do you propose?”

“Give us tanks, Chief! With tanks, not even a fly will get past us!”

It is no secret that strategic thinking is something other than what Putin excels at. Everything happening around them demonstrates that he can only think about today. Now he’s scared of the cook, so something has to be done immediately. As a result, a law is hastily written and unanimously passed by deputies in 15 minutes – and Shoigu is already signing documents transferring heavy equipment to Zolotov’s structures.

Now, let’s consider what all of this could lead to. Yes, Putin trusts Zolotov, who was his bodyguard for many years. But he trusted Prihodko no less – he even fed him. A power system based on the personal relationship between the leader and his inner circle is unreliable: excessive trust in a favorite often leads to military coups. But Putin hasn’t fully grasped the mechanism of the rake hitting him in the face when he steps on it. He seems eager to give it another try. Well, may God help him.

However, there is another significant nuance. Transferring tanks to Zolotov means providing heavy equipment and a personal army to Kadyrov. We all understand that it’s his private army, but formally it is part of the National Guard. And the fact is that Kadyrov’s fighters will soon be equipped with tanks, artillery, and air defense systems from the Ministry of Defense’s arsenal. They will receive weapons that Kadyrov’s father could only dream of when he declared a “sacred war” on Russia in the 90s.

Let’s be honest: No single person can guarantee that Kadyrov won’t eventually turn this arsenal against our country. Even an idiot can see that the militarization of the Kadyrov regime is a direct path to a new war in the Caucasus.

But Putin doesn’t care. “After us, the deluge.”

Alexei Navalny on the Judicial System in Russia

Russia has finally turned into some episode from the movie “Wedding in Malinovka.” There is no semblance of law and order, and the main characters have become representatives of gangs.

We still don’t fully understand the horrible long-term consequences of all this recruitment.

In Russia, there are 440 thousand people behind bars. In a short period, through the system of pre-trial detention centers and prisons, a couple of million people, the criminals of Russia, will be transformed. For them, the police, the Investigative Committee, the courts, and the prisons mainly exist. We spend colossal amounts of money and effort to prevent them from committing crimes.

And now, 100% of this public, whose law-abiding behavior we desperately want to increase, knows for sure: there is no law, no courts, no rules. All of this is fiction – lies about educational work and correction as an opportunity for early release. With a snap of fingers, literally, within a day, murderers and robbers with long sentences are released not by any court or even Putin but by a bald man arriving at the prisons, telling a story about “spending ten years.”

This generation of criminals, and many generations ahead, will tell each other stories like: “He still had 15 years left for two murders, but they let him go.” And they will do it right in false, hypocritical lectures about the need to participate in amateur performances to get rewards and claim early release many years later.

And this doesn’t only concern inmates. There may be few decent people in the Federal Penitentiary Service system, but they exist. So, imagine them standing in the stadium next to inmates while a former convict announces, “If you are ready to be my stormtroopers, I will take you out of here in 5 minutes, and in six months, you will be free with a pardon.” Courts, investigators, and the FSB are involved because they must either cover it up, organize it, or pretend not to notice. This is the actual deep corrosion of the foundations of the state.

We will pay for this for a long time. Even if it were reasonable from a military point of view, it would still be utterly unacceptable. But from a military perspective, it’s nonsense, just typical Putin-Prihodko-style corrupt nonsense. Putin ordered Adjutant Popandopulo to create squads of criminals who smash heads with hammers and carry out public executions. And all of this is done shamelessly to grab a piece of land from a neighboring country. The fundamentals of law are being destroyed in Russia for the sake of a future defeat in a shameful war.

Alexei Navalny on the arrest of Igor Strelkov

Igor Strelkov was unlawfully detained. As long as he remains in custody on this absurd and obviously politically motivated accusation, he is a political prisoner.

Previously, Strelkov was convicted by a court in the Netherlands in a process that, from my point of view, adhered to the principle of an independent judiciary. In any case, the fact of the murder of 298 passengers of the Boeing should be investigated by Russia, and all those responsible should face fair punishment. Strelkov himself does not deny his involvement in military actions in Ukraine with an uncertain status. All of this should also be investigated and received a fair evaluation by the court. However, currently, Strelkov is arrested not for an accusation of committing an actual crime but for a fabricated and fictitious case of extremism. In simple terms, for criticizing the authorities. Specifically, Shoigu and Putin.

Undoubtedly, Strelkov’s criticism comes from the right-wing perspective. He criticized the cannibals for their insufficient appetite and advised on consuming people more efficiently. He also guided how to conduct an unlawful, aggressive, and senseless war. However, regardless of Strelkov’s views, we must stand on the principles of law and justice. A person can only be judged for the crime they have committed. Rejoicing over Strelkov falling victim to his authority means publicly supporting lawlessness.

Alexei Navalny on involving children in politics

Do you remember how Putin accused the opposition of “involving children in politics”? How they pretended to be outraged and sprayed saliva in the State Duma. They passed numerous repressive laws during that time and initiated countless criminal cases.

Behind this hysteria, Kremlin’s concern was evident as they realized they were losing the young generation. High school students and college-goers were not enchanted by imperialistic nonsense; they considered Putin, a madman and wanted to live not in dreams of the USSR but in a modern civilized world. Hence, in recent years, anti-government protests have “youthened” significantly, and the audience of opposition media has noticeably expanded, with the age group of 18 to 24 being the most protest-prone, according to sociologists.

And now, the President’s administration has taken action, trying to bend the new generation through their knee, re-educate them, and regain their loyalty. They use their familiar methods with the “rough language of posters” or through brute pressure.

In schools, they now conduct “lessons of patriotism,” indoctrinating students with the propaganda of militarism and our “national exclusivity.” Simultaneously, they suppress those who show independence. Everyone knows how in Efremov, a schoolgirl and the orphanage were reported to the police for an anti-war drawing. Recently, a lawyer, a friend of mine, told me how a teacher yelled at his daughter in front of the whole class for a picture with English words, saying, “It’s the language of the enemy, and you’re disgracing us all!”

In the “Heroes of Russian Victories” competition, funded by the President’s grant, prizes are given to children’s drawings depicting executions by hanging and the killing of Ukrainians.

On television, they show teenagers repeating memorized phrases about the greatness of Putin.

We are witnessing the blatant political manipulation of children at the state level. And we must not downplay its danger: such aggressive influence can seriously traumatize and damage the psyche of schoolchildren.

We hope that a protective mechanism will kick in the minds of children. After all, teenagers tend to resist what is forcibly and unconditionally imposed on them. We believe that school propaganda will have a reverse effect and will encourage kids to seek alternatives and think independently.

We want to believe, but still, we are worried. Protect your children from these maniacs.