‘They killed democracy’: How Russians are reacting to Alexei Navalny’s death

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Key Points
  • Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has died in an Arctic prison.
  • Supporters have taken to the streets to mourn, and many have expressed disbelief and despair on social media.
  • Putin has not commented publicly on Navalny’s death.
Russians have reacted with a mixture of disbelief and despair following the news of the death of fierce Vladimir Putin critic and .
Navalny died at the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year term, and news of his death prompted reactions from Russian political figures, bloggers, journalists, and ordinary citizens on social media.

There are thousands of comments under posts about his passing.

Russians risk arrest to march in the street

Human rights organisations, have stated in reports that it is almost impossible for people in Russia to protest, due to authorities’ increasingly restrictive laws.
But the news of Navalny’s death prompted supporters to take to the streets despite the risks of being arrested.

In many Russian cities, people also laid flowers at memorials for victims of political repression.

A group of people holding posters in the dark, one reading "I'm not afraid, and you shouldn't be either".

Russian communities around the world are holding memorials for Alexei Navalny this weekend. A poster reads “I’m not afraid, and you shouldn’t be afraid”. Source: Getty / Michele Tantussi

According to , an independent human rights defence and media group that collects data and produces content about political repressions in Russia, over 100 people have already been detained at rallies in memory of Navalny.

Russian communities worldwide are holding memorials for Alexei Navalny, including Russians in Australia.

What are Russians saying on social media?

Many Russians have taken to social media to articulate their thoughts and opinions.
Independent Russian journalist and blogger Ilya Varlamov, who has 4.8 million YouTube subscribers, posted on that he had no words to describe his feelings.
“It’s a horror. Alexei Navalny has died. Recently, he was once again sent to solitary confinement, where he spent over 300 days in total,” Varlamov wrote.
“Today, the Federal Penitentiary Service wrote that he died during a walk. There are simply no words.”
In the first few hours, his post got almost 5,000 comments.

Many people wrote that “Navalny’s biggest mistake was returning to Russia”.

A group of people with luggage, led by a man in a green jacket and a face mask, are walking through the airport.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia walk towards the passport control point at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport upon their arrival from Berlin on January 17, 2021. Source: Getty / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP

People also expressed their sorrow, seeing it as a personal tragedy and saying they had lost hope in the prospect of a democratic future for Russia.

“They didn’t just kill Navalny, they killed democracy, they killed Russia, they killed hope. The entire country is guilty of his death. He came back for the people, but the people didn’t support him,” one user wrote.
Exiled Russian political activist Maxim Katz, who has over 2 million YouTube subscribers, released , and more than 13,000 Russian speakers left their comments under it.
“It seemed like he was made of steel, that he would always be with us,” he said in the video.

“Even now it seems that any moment the news will come that he didn’t actually die, that it’s another hoax, that they tried to deceive us, and he’ll joke about it. […] But now he’s gone, he’s no longer here, and I’m writing an obituary. It’s impossible to believe for me, and probably for you as well.”

A man in the suit sitting at his desk

Exiled Russian political activist Maxim Katz said about Navalny: “It seemed like he was made of steel, that he would always be with us.” Credit: YouTube channel @Max_Katz

His followers joined him in expressing disbelief and desperation.

“I’ve never felt so lonely in my life. I have family with me, so many friends and acquaintances, but I don’t even have anyone to tell how my hope for the future has been shattered,” one viewer commented.

“His (Navalny’s) key words were: you need to use this power. But how? And where? How big is this power? Does it even exist? He said this before February before hundreds of thousands of people left the country. How much of this force is left here? Who is the power? My father, who is pro-Putin? Or my mother who doesn’t care?” another user lamented.

Navalny’s message before his death

In the Oscar-winning Navalny documentary, the activist was asked to share his message in case he died.
“I have a very obvious thing to say: do not give up. You shouldn’t, you can’t give up. If this [death] happens, it means that we are exceptionally strong at this moment since they decided to kill me,” he said.

“All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Therefore, we must not remain passive.”

Andrey Loshak, a Russian Journalist and filmmaker who has lived in exile since 2022, told in an independent Russian media Meduza that Navalny’s death had shaken all his core values.
“This is a terrible blow,” he said.

“For me, it’s a blow to my belief in the existence of good and evil, that good eventually wins. Alexei gave me that belief, and honestly, I’ve held onto that belief in recent years.”

What has the Kremlin said about Navalny’s death?

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called statements by Western countries about Navalny’s death “rabid and unacceptable”.
Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled broadcaster Russia Today, wrote in her Telegram about Navalny’s death.

“I won’t even begin to explain to them [the West] that he has long been forgotten, that there was no point in killing him, especially before the elections, and that it is beneficial to completely opposing forces,” Simonyan wrote.

“What’s there to explain when they already know all this perfectly well.”
Some social media users seem to echo this statement.
“The most interesting thing is that Navalny’s death before the elections is not beneficial to Putin at all, and the only beneficiaries are the opposition and the coalition of countries imposing sanctions on Russia,” one Instagram user wrote.

“So, if this is a murder, then let’s think about who had the motive. Hint: it’s definitely not Putin and not Russia.”

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