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TRANSCRIPT
Two years after Russia's Opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony, his supporters gathered at his grave in Moscow earlier this week - risking retribution to mourn the man - and his vision.
The anniversary comes as the UK and European allies released findings he was likely killed with a frog toxin.
His widow, Yulia Navalnaya had this to say in response:
“I promised that I would continue this fight. I promised that we would learn the truth. And I will do everything to ensure that (Russian President, Vladimir) Putin and everyone involved are punished.”
His widow and supporters around the world are continuing his political resistance.
Petr Kuzmin is the Australian representative for Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.
“Millions of people deserve a much better life than they are having under Putin, the Putin regime is only interested in its longevity.”
The Kremlin has a long history of attempting to stifle dissent beyond its own borders.
Yulia Yemelyanova, a former volunteer at Navalny's St. Petersburg headquarters, is the latest to face extradition to Russia from Kazakhstan, under what human rights groups believe are fabricated charges.
This is Andrew Witheford from Amnesty International Australia.
“Given her activities in Navalny's foundation, we would fear for her wellbeing if she was returned to Russia.”
Four years on from Russia's full scale invasion, experts like Robert Horvarth, a specialist on Russian politics at La Trobe University, say resistance from inside the country is slim.
“In theory, there are a multiplicity of parties in Russia that most of those are so-called systemic parties that are closely controlled by the regime.... They will support Putin, they will support the war.”
Amnesty International's Andrew Witheford again:
“It's a very oppressive system. A number of media outlets, newspapers, television stations have been shut down over the last 20 years. It's estimated that there would be at least a thousand people in prison who are essentially prisoners of conscience.”
Because of this threat, experts say most prominent opposition figures live in exile.
15 of those are formed a new platform to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, designed to amplify democratic Russian voices.
Participants include Mikhail Khordorkovsy an exiled Russian businessman who was once the country's richest man; a former member of the Russian parliament, Dmitry Gudkov; Nadya Tolokonnikova, the co-founder of feminist group Pussy Riot and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a former political prisoner who survived two suspected poisoning attempts.
Five seats are also reserved for representatives of Russia's Indigenous and minority communities.
Robert Horvarth again.
“On one level, this is a good thing. It provides a platform for some very significant members of the Russian opposition … However, this platform is also problematic because of the way that it excludes the most important organisation of Russian Democrats, which is Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.”
Petra Bayr, the President for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe told SBS:
"The Assembly wants to make sure that cutting ties with the Kremlin does not mean cutting ties with Russian society altogether - and the platform is not designed to represent a holistic or exhaustive spectrum of Russia's opposition."
Russia is due to hold its legislative elections by late-September 2026 - elections considered by various international observers to be neither free or fair.
That assessment is disputed in a statement to SBS, from the Russian embassy.
