MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin has expressed his belief that President Vladimir Putin ordered the killing of his friend and fellow opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Yashin is determined to continue resisting Putin’s rule from behind bars.
Yashin, who is currently serving an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for publishing details of war crimes by Russia’s armed forces in Ukraine, published a letter via Facebook that has been translated to English by CEPA.
In the letter, Yashin expressed shock over the death of Navalny, stating that he has no doubt that Navalny was killed. He also pointed a finger at Putin, calling him a war criminal and stating his conviction that Putin ordered the killing of Navalny.
The imprisoned opposition leader has also condemned state propaganda and defended his belief that Putin orchestrated the killing, despite potential arguments claiming it was not advantageous for the president or that it was illogical to kill Navalny a month before the elections.
Yashin spoke of the contrast between Navalny and Putin, hailing Navalny as a man of exceptional courage who defied fear and death, while describing Putin as a small man who hides in a bunker and holds millions of people hostage to his complexes. Yashin vowed to continue speaking his truth, despite the risks to his own safety.
The letter also included a heartfelt message to Navalny and his family, as well as a vow to continue the fight against tyranny. Yashin made it clear that as long as he lives, he will not fear evil and will continue to stand with his people.
The imprisoned opposition leader’s courageous stance against Putin’s regime serves as a powerful statement to the world as he faces the dangers of speaking out from behind bars.