On the day of Russian President Vladimir Putin's re-inauguration, Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of the late Alexei Navalny and an exiled Russian opposition leader, publicly called Putin a liar, thief, and murderer [890035fd]. Navalnaya accused Putin of being responsible for her husband's death and criticized his actions, including the war in Ukraine and the imprisonment of political opponents [890035fd]. She urged supporters to continue the fight against corruption and for freedom, acknowledging the challenges they face and calling for unity against Putin's regime [890035fd]. However, with Navalny dead and other Kremlin critics either imprisoned or in exile, the opposition movement within Russia has been effectively suppressed [890035fd]. Navalnaya was awarded the 'Media Freedom Prize' in Tegernsee [890035fd]. The Kremlin has consistently denied the accusations against Putin and has portrayed Navalnaya and her late husband's supporters as Western-backed extremists [890035fd].
This latest development adds to the ongoing tension between the Russian government and the opposition movement, highlighting the continued efforts of Navalnaya and others to challenge Putin's regime [890035fd]. The accusations made by Navalnaya further fuel the international scrutiny of Putin's leadership and the Russian government's handling of political dissent [890035fd].
In another development, Alexei Navalny, a well-known Russian opposition figure, will be posthumously awarded the first Dresden International Peace Prize on Sunday [8a84394d]. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, will receive the €10,000 ($10,774) award at the Schauspielhaus theatre in Dresden, Germany [8a84394d]. Former German president Joachim Gauck will deliver the laudatory speech, and a requiem by Russian composer Sergei Nevsky for Navalny will be premiered [8a84394d]. Navalny, a critic of President Vladimir Putin, died under unexplained circumstances in a Siberian prison camp on February 16 [8a84394d]. The Dresden Prize was renamed the Dresden Peace Prize in 2024 and is awarded on the anniversary of the city's destruction in World War II to individuals who have made a special contribution to peace and international understanding. Previous recipients include Mikhail Gorbachev, Daniel Barenboim, James Nachtwey, and Daniel Libeskind [8a84394d].