“Putin is not a politician but a gangster and a murderer”

• Yulia Navalny is the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who took his place after his death in prison. Her article in the Washington Post was written in the first person and so its main points are presented here.

On February 16, a month before the “presidential elections” in Russia, my husband, Alexei Navalny, was murdered in prison on the direct orders of Vladimir Putin. I never wanted to be a politician, but Putin left me no other option. Therefore, I would like to tell you some important things that Alexei tried to say over the years.

To defeat Putin, or at least to punish him severely, one must understand who he is. Unfortunately, too many in the West see him as a legitimate political leader, debate his ideology and seek political logic in his actions. This is a big mistake that begets new mistakes and helps Putin repeatedly mislead his opponents. Putin is not a politician but a gangster. Alexei became famous in Russia and Putin hated him because this is what he said from the first moment about him and his allies: they are gangsters who have seized power and are using it to get rich and realize their personal ambitions.

Look at Putin as a mafia leader. Understand his cruelty, his cynicism, his violence, his love of luxury – and his willingness to lie and emigrate. All his talk about religion, history, culture and politics mislead the people of the West. But in Russia, everyone knows that gangsters have always liked to wear large crosses, show up in churches and present themselves as fighters for higher values ​​of justice and tradition. The Russians understand that this is the behavior of professional criminals.

Look at Putin as a mafia leader and you will understand how to punish him and bring about his end. Status is very important to crime leaders, both in their gangs and in the world outside. Putin can crown himself Tsar, but why do democratic countries continue to recognize his criminal rule as legitimate? Why do honestly elected leaders put themselves in the same line with someone who for decades rigged elections, killed his critics, imprisoned them or forced them to go into exile, and is now waging war in the heart of Europe?

I do not guarantee that refusing to recognize the results of the elections held this week will immediately lead to the fall of Putin’s government. But it will be an important signal to civil society in Russia and the elites who are still loyal to Putin, as well as to the world, that Russia is not ruled by a recognized president but by one who is widely condemned. Only then will those who remain loyal to Putin begin to understand that the only way to return to a normal economic and political life is to get rid of him.