Wife of late Russian opposition leader says she would run for president if she returns to Russia after Putin

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has said in an interview with the BBC that if she goes back to Russia, she would run for president, although this is impossible as long as Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is in power.

Source: Navalnaya in an interview with BBC News Russian

Quote from Navalnaya: "My goal is to bring about changes in the country and to make them possible. If I return to Russia, I will run for the presidency."

Details: She said that going back to Moscow is "unfortunately impossible" while Russian leader Vladimir Putin is in power.

Navalnaya mentioned that she could not attend her husband’s funeral in her hometown due to the fear of being arrested.

She is currently facing criminal charges in Russia, with authorities alleging her membership of an extremist organisation, referring to the Anti-Corruption Foundation established by her husband.

Navalnaya acknowledged that she is "not a magician and does not know the secret" of achieving immediate change in Russia.

"If you can't do something big right away, do something small every day, and the more people do that, the faster change will come," she said.

Background: In February, Yulia Navalnaya called on the European Union not to recognise Russia's sham "presidential elections" which were to be held in March 2024. Navalnaya said Putin no longer recognises diplomatic language or the "rules of the game", so it is time to "stop playing by the rules".

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