Navalny: The politician who aspired to become Russian president

Putin nemesis believed citizens would stand up under dictatorship

20240221 Alexei Navalny

"I am fighting to become the leader of the nation," Alexei Navalny said during a Nikkei interview in Moscow in February 2019.

EIJI FURUKAWA, contributing writer

KYIV -- Alexei Navalny's bold political challenge against Russian President Vladimir Putin's authoritarian rule spelled his demise, as he died later under suspicious circumstances in prison.

Unlike other opposition figures, Navalny harbored presidential ambitions, even under Putin's dictatorship, led by his unwavering belief that the country would evolve into a "Beautiful Russia of the future," as he once called his campaign.

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