Alexei Navalny widow Yulia say she go stand as Russian president wen Putin don comot

Yulia Navalnaya get ambition to be president of Russia, she tell me. She look me straight for eye. She no shake or move.

This one like so many of di decisions she make wit her husband, di opposition leader Alexei Navalny dey clear.

Navalnaya know say she face arrest if she return home while President Putin still dey for power. Im administration don accuse her say she dey participate for radical things wey dey extreme.

Dis no be empty threat. For Russia, e fit lead to death.

'I go participate for elections' - Alexei Navalny wife

Her husband na President Putin most vocal critic wey dem sentence to 19 years for extremism, charges wey some see as politically motivated.

Navalny die for February for one brutal penal colony for Arctic Circle. US President Joe Biden say "no doubt" Putin na to blame. Russia deny say dem kill Navalny.

Yulia Navalnaya wey siddon for our interview for London legal library dey look and sound like a successor to Navalny, di lawyer wey turn politician wey dream of a different Russia.

As she launch Patriot, di memoir - book - wey her husband dey write bifor im death, Yulia Navalnaya tok her plans to continue im fight for democracy.

Wen di time dey right, “I go participate for di elections… as a candidate,” she tell BBC.

“My political opponent na Vladimir Putin. And I go do everitin to make im regime fall as soon as possible”.

For now, e get to be from outside Russia.

She tok say while Putin dey in charge, she no fit go back. But Yulia look forward to di day she believe say she go eventually come, wen di Putin era go end and Russia go again open up.

Just like her husband, she believe say chance to hold free and fair elections go dey. Wen dat happen, she say she go dey dia.

Her family don already suffer terribly for di struggle against di Russian regime, but she remain composed throughout our interview, she dey hard whenever Putin name come up.

Her personal grief dey channelled into political messaging, in public anyway. But she tell me, since Alexei die, she don dey think even more about di impact wey dia political beliefs and decisions get on dia children, Dasha, 23, and Zakhar, 16.

“I understand say dem no choose am”.

But she say she no ever ask Navalny to change course.

E dey barred from standing for president by Russia Central Election Commission.

Im investigations through Anti-Corruption Foundation dey viewed by millions online, including a video wey dey posted afta im last arrest, claiming say Putin don build one-billion dollar palace on di Black Sea.

Even though di president deny am.

Navalnaya tok about her late husband book

For di interview, Navalny wife tok on di book 'Patriot' wey her husband write while also describing di kian man wey im be.

Yulia say: “Wen you live inside dis life, you understand say e no go give up and dat na wetin you go love am for”.

Navalny dey poisoned wit di nerve agent Novichok for 2020.

Dem fly am go Germany for treatment and di German chancellor demand answers from Putin regime.

Navalny work wit open-source investigators Bellingcat and trace di poisoning to Russia security service, di FSB.

For im memoir, Alexei say afta e survive di Novichok poisoning, Yulia made di "decisive observation" dat dem fit poison am again, so e dey important for am to dey "physically fit"

E begin dey write im memoir as e dey recova.

Alexei and Yulia return to Russia for January 2021 wia dem arrest am afta landing.

Many ask why dem return.

“E no get any discussion. You just need to support am. I know say e wan come back to Russia. I know say e wan be wit im supporters, im wan be an example to all dis pipo wit courage and bravery to show pipo say, no need to dey afraid of dis dictator.

“I neva let my brain think say dem fit kill am… we live dis life for years and e dey about, you share dis difficulties, you share dis views. You support am”.

After im jailing, Navalny continue im book for notebook entries, posts on social media and prison diaries, published for di first time. Some of im writing dey seized by di prison authorities, e tok.

Patriot dey revealing - and devastating. We all know Navalny final chapter, wey describe im treatment - and im courage dey more touching.

Navalny spend 295 days for solitary confinement, dem punish am, according to di book, for violations including di top button of im fatigue uniform wey dem keep unbuttoned.

Dem no give am access to phone calls and visits.

Yulia Navalnaya say: “Usually, di normal practice na to banish am just for two weeks and na di most severe punishment. My husband spend almost one year for dia."

For one prison diary from August 2022, Navalny write from solitary confinement about how di cell dey hot and im no fit breathe well.

Di diary also document how di place dey cold and isolated wit loud music wey go prevent loud shouts and nobody go hear di screams of prisoners wey dem dey torture.

Di book dey much of a political work as a memoir, a rally cry to anyone who believe in a free Russia.

E also dey published for Russian, as an ebook and audiobook. But di publishers no send hard copies to Russia or Belarus, becos dem say dem no fit guarantee if di book go get through customs.

How many Russians go dare to buy am, even for electronic form, e dey unclear - and how much impact e fit get remain questionable.

Di message wey dey for every page na say Navalny no ever give up.

Di writing dey laced wit a great deal of irony. Di book go sell better if e die, Navalny bin write.

At di end, Patriot na also a love story about two pipo wey dey fully committed to a cause dem believe.

Dis na di cause wey Yulia don become di figurehead.

Afta a visit from im wife, Navalny write for di memoir:

I whisper for her ear ‘Listen, I no wan sound dramatic, but I think say e get high probability say I fit no get out of here…. Dem go poison me’.

Navalnaya tok on death of her husband and gbege wit Putin

Navalnaya say she dey prevented from visiting or speaking to her husband for two years bifor e die.

She say dem torture Alexei, starve am and keep am for "awful conditions".

Afta im death, di US, EU and UK announce new sanctions against Russia.

Dis include freezing di assets of six prison bosses wey dey run di Arctic Circle penal colony and oda sanctions on judges wey dey involved for criminal proceedings against Navalny.

Yulia call di reaction to im husband death by di international community “a joke” and ask dem to dey “a little less afraid” of Putin.

She wan see say dem lock up di president.

“I no want make e dey prison somewhere for abroad, for a nice prison with computer, nice food… I want make e dey for a Russian prison. I want make e dey same condition wey Alexei bin dey”.

Di Russians claim say Navalny die of natural causes but Yulia believe President Putin bin order di killing.

“Vladimir Putin dey ansa for di death and for di murder of my husband”, Navalnaya tok.

Yulia say laughter na her husband “superpower”.

“E really, truly laugh at dis regime and at Vladimir Putin. Na why Vladimir Putin bin hate am so much”.