Oct 15, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Alexei Navalny said he knew he would die in prison in new memoir

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny predicted that he would die in prison — almost two years before his death in a remote Arctic penal colony, according to excerpts of his posthumous memoir published by The New Yorker.

Why it matters: The book — called "Patriot" and out next Tuesday — acts as Navalny's "final letter to the world," publisher Penguin Random House said.

The big picture: Navalny began writing the book in 2020, shortly after his poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok.

His widow Yulia Navalnaya called the memoir a testament to her husband's "unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship," per Penguin Random House blurb.

What they're saying: "I will spend the rest of my life in prison and die here. There will not be anybody to say goodbye to," Navalny wrote in "Patriot," per the excerpt published by The New Yorker.

"I will miss graduations from school and college ... All anniversaries will be celebrated without me. I'll never see my grandchildren," he added.
Navalny recounts being asked by fellow prisoners why he returned to Russia after being treated for his poisoning in Germany.

"I don't want to give up my country or betray it. If your convictions mean something, you must be prepared to stand up for them and make sacrifices if necessary," he wrote.

Zoom out: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's memoir on his nearly 500-day detention in Russia is due out in 2026.

Go deeper: U.S. wanted Navalny in historic prisoner swap with Russia

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Alexei Navalny said he knew he would die in prison in new memoir

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