Over the past few years, Alexey Navalny, a dissident and political adversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin, managed to maintain a connection with the outside world despite being imprisoned. This revelation comes from letters obtained by The New York Times. Navalny, who has been behind bars since January 2021, demonstrated an awareness of global events, including developments in the United States.
In a letter addressed to his friend, photographer Evgeny Feldman, Navalny expressed apprehension about the potential agenda of former President Donald Trump for a second term, characterizing it as “really scary.” He contemplated the scenario of Trump assuming the presidency if President Joe Biden encountered health issues, questioning whether Democrats were alarmed by this possibility.
Another letter, dated December 3, saw Navalny reiterating his concerns about Trump and asking Feldman to name a current politician he admired. Responses from Trump’s office to inquiries on these matters were not immediately available.
Navalny’s situation took a darker turn on December 6 when he disappeared from the IK-6 penal colony near Moscow. He re-emerged on Christmas Day at the IK-3 penal colony, situated over 1,000 miles northeast of Moscow, where his ability to communicate with the outside world was severely curtailed.
On February 13, journalist Sergei Parkhomenko received a letter from Navalny, just days before news of Navalny’s death became public. In this correspondence, Navalny shared insights into his restricted access to books, expressing surprise at finding Anton Chekhov to be the most depressing Russian writer.
In stark contrast, Trump made no mention of Navalny in the days following his death, despite condemnation from other global leaders who explicitly attributed responsibility to Putin. Trump’s post on Truth Social briefly acknowledged Navalny’s death before pivoting to critique what he perceived as shortcomings in the United States, targeting “CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges,” without addressing the situation in Russia or Putin.
