Navalny’s memoir “Patriot” tells about isolation in a Russian prison

“The main thing is not to torment yourself with anger, hatred, fantasies of revenge, but to immediately move to acceptance. It can be difficult,” he writes. “The process that goes on in your head is by no means simple, but if you’re in a bad situation, you have to try it. It works if you think things through.”

In recent years, Navalny has become an international symbol of resistance. A lawyer by training, he started out as an anti-corruption fighter, but soon turned into a politician with ambitions for public office and eventually became the main rival of long-time Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The completion of work on the book was supervised by Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalna. In a promotional interview for Patriot, she told the BBC that she would run for president if she ever returned to Russia — an unlikely move with Putin in power, Navalny admitted. She was arrested in absentia in Russia on charges of involvement in an extremist group. Putin “needs to be in a Russian prison to feel what not only my husband feels, but also all the prisoners in Russia,” Navalna said in an interview with the CBS “60 Minutes” channel.

Navalny promised to continue the struggle of her late husband. She recorded regular video addresses to her supporters and met with Western leaders and dignitaries, defending Russians who oppose Putin and his war in Ukraine. She had two children with her husband, who writes in his book of his instant attraction to her and their strong bond, praising Navalny as a kindred spirit who “can discuss the most difficult issues with me without too much drama and hand-wringing.”