What is freedom worth to you? Is freedom worth losing your home, your safety, and even your life? Alexei Navalny, a rare kind of hero in history, sacrificed all these things to fight for democratic freedom for Russia and his beloved people.
Watching the 2023 Oscar-winning documentary, Navalny, one cannot help but connect with Navalny-a man who stood up for freedom and showed humor, optimism and courage even after surviving a poison attempt by the Russian government.
The documentary depicts how Navalny emerged from the poisoning and exposed the truth of the Kremlin-driven assassination attempt on his life. After a top Russian chemist confessed to the crime on a prank phone call with Navalny and his team, they cleverly utilized social media to spread the truth, undermining the Russian government worldwide. In one scene Navalny created a satirical TikTok reel mouthing the words “How Bizarre” to the OMC song as the camera pans to maps illustrating the assassination plot. Through wit and cultural relevance, Navalny gained the upper hand and positioned himself as Putin’s political adversary.
Then, in an act of superhuman courage, Navalny returns to Russia. The documentary captures his return, moment by moment, with his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, by his side. Cameras capture the surging crowds awaiting Navalny’s arrival, and the diversion of the airplane to a different airport to avoid the riots and protests Navalny’s arrival would no doubt have ignited. The contrast between hero and coward is evident as Navalny bravely reenters the country, and the Kremlin fearfully removes Navalny from the public and detains him at the airport.
The next moment that viewers see Navalny, he awaits sentencing from a judge while imprisoned within a glass cage in the courtroom. In a heartbreaking moment, he smiles and draws a heart on the glass for his wife Yulia.
Navalny’s imprisonment after this sentencing only increased his influence within Russia and his fame worldwide. Navalny seemed to be a real world Katniss Everdeen, a Mockingjay that could incite a revolution to finally free oppressed people from a cruel dictatorship. Navalny represented hope- both for democratic freedom for the Russian people and hope for an end to the criminal war in Ukraine.
That hope is dangerous to a dictator, and Vladimir Putin acted accordingly to quash the hope Navalny’s existence kept alive. And yet, Navalny’s death is not the end of the hope his life created.
In the final scene of the documentary, Navalny addresses where hope can arise if he does not survive. Speaking in Russian, he stated, “You’re not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong. We need to utilize this power to not give up.” He concludes his statement quoting the famous phrase, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don’t be inactive.”
The significance of Navalny’s words to the Russian people is clear, but what do Navalny’s words mean for US citizens?
Navalny's fight is a fight that US citizens cannot ignore, for the bully Navalny faced also threatens our freedom in the United States.
In a courageous speech to world leaders at the Munich Security Conference, Yulia Navalnaya calls upon the International community to hold the Russian government accountable stating, “This regime should be personally held responsible for all the atrocities they have committed.”
The question must be asked, how can we hold Putin and the Russian government accountable for Navalny’s death, the suppression of autonomy, and threat to democracy worldwide?
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley answered the question in a CNN interview stating, “The best way to hold Putin accountable is to make sure that Ukraine wins…and the reason is, dictators, thugs, and terrorists always tell us what they are going to do…Russia said once they take Ukraine, Poland and the Baltics are next. Those are Nato countries and that immediately puts America at war. We are trying to prevent war.”
Haley’s comments accurately describe the reality we face if Putin takes Ukraine, his violence and aggression will not stop. We, like the Russian people, cannot afford to be inactive. We cannot afford to ignore the bully Navalny fought.
Now is the time to continue supporting Ukraine. Now is the time to find bravery and conviction as a nation to stand up to evil and fight for good. Now is the time to follow the example of Navalny, a hero who gave everything to fight for freedom and lived a life worth living.
Catherine Glover is a Northsider.
