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I was at home and it was morning. And her daughter came into the room and she was sobbing. she was crying. She couldn’t tell me what happened. And it took a few minutes for her to be able to say these words, but she said, “Mr. Navalny is dead.” that’s it.
And I screamed, what do you mean? That can’t be reality. what are you talking about? Where did you read it? And she kept crying. She simply repeats, Mr. Navalny is dead. We then lay in bed with her for a few hours trying to process this news.
My name is Nadia Tolokonnikova. She is the founder of the feminist collective Pussy Riot.
It was a warm, sunny spring day in Moscow in 2007. It’s my first rally. And I’m nervous. I’m 16 years old, shy, and in love with the brave people around me. My quiet voice joins the cries of others.
[CHANTING]
We link arms and work together to take the police off the streets. Russia may be free. It’s a new feeling for me. This is where I saw Alexei Navalny for the first time. In his 17 years since then, I have watched my friend Alexei grow from a Moscow blogger to a global figure, giving hope and inspiration to people all over the world.
He helped me and millions of Russians understand that our country does not have to belong to KJP operatives or Kremlin stooges. He gave us something else – a vision of what he called the beautiful Russia of the future. This vision, unlike us humans, is immortal.
In 2011, Putin announced that he would once again become president, making it clear that he intended to rule Russia for the rest of his life. My feminist friends and I went to an opposition conference in Moscow to find our next steps.
Young and radical, we walked around like zombies through the usual boring panel discussions, sad speeches, poetry readings, and sleepy lectures on human rights and democracy. I wasn’t impressed because it wasn’t practical or attractive. We all believed that Russia should be free, but how did we get there?
Alexei then spoke about the anti-corruption investigation. My life can be divided into before and after that speech. Alexei made all of us in that packed room feel that a free Russia is not only possible, but that we can get there with joy, laughter and friendship. Pussy Riot was born that day. I realized that I needed to create my own set of tools that would make it easy to recreate actions that make a difference and attract attention.
Alexei gave us the push we needed to create the first Pussy Riot music video, based on dozens of dangerous guerrilla performances in Moscow. Six months after the beginning of Pussy Riot, we were sent to a forced labor camp for two years. In a dark and gloomy place, I was filled with apathy and almost broke, but even in the darkness of the Mordovian labor camp, Alexei gave me hope.
I heard that a miracle happened to Alexei. He was running for mayor of Moscow. And it was an unprecedentedly powerful and successful campaign. Unfortunately, to keep him quiet, the Russian government sent him to prison.
He was sentenced to five years in prison. People filled the streets of cities across Russia, refusing to leave their homes until Alexei Navalny was released.
He was released the next day. And I think Mr. Navalny would have won if the election had been fair. Many people say that Putin hates and fears Navalny, but I think the main feeling Putin has for Alexei is envy, because Alexei is everything Putin is not. Who in their right mind would want to be friends with Vladimir Putin? A dark and sad KGB agent who hides everything in his life. President Putin must kill his opponents in order to terrorize people and force them to obey him.
Alexei leads with love. People follow him because they like him, and he’s the kind of guy they actually want to be friends with. This was so enviable to President Putin that he decided to destroy it. But the problem for Putin is that it is impossible to destroy. Mr. Navalny gave us an idea, and ideas are immortal.
People say that hope died with Alexei, but I feel otherwise. I feel like I have a new sense of responsibility. For many of us, Alexei was like an older brother or a parent, someone who would come and clean up our messes. Well, there’s no one else coming to clean up your mess. You have to be yourself and act. And in addition to the severe pain, it has given me a new sense of purpose and clarity. We are grateful to Alexei and his dream that a new and beautiful Russia will continue to fight.
I want people in the West to have the same sense of clarity that I have today after losing a friend. It’s very black and white. It’s evil and good. And if it wasn’t clear in February 2022 when Putin invaded Ukraine, it should be clear in February 2024. We need the whole world’s support to overcome this, but it is not the only concern. Only Russians. This is a man who must be stopped and is a threat not only to the Russian people and Russians outside Russia, but also to world peace.
[MUSIC PLAYING]