Navalny condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine: Putin is not Russia, take to the streets and demand peace

Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin's leading political opponent currently in a Russian prison, published a reflection on the war in Ukraine and the situation in Russia on Twitter.

Navalny's reflection was published on the official Twitter profile of the Russian opposition leader. Although Navalny does not have internet access in prison, it is assumed that he dictated it to his lawyer.

We are transmitting Alexei Navalny's words in full:

"We cannot be cowards who pretend not to see the aggressive war of a mad tsar. We - Russia - want to be a nation of peace. Unfortunately, few can call us that now. But at least we can not become a nation of frightened, silenced people. Cowards who pretend not to notice the aggressive war launched by a mad tsar against Ukraine," Navalny wrote.

"I cannot, do not want to, and will not remain silent and watch as pseudo-historical nonsense about events from 100 years ago becomes an excuse for Russians to kill Ukrainians, and for them, defending themselves, to kill Russians," wrote Putin's imprisoned opponent.

"In the 2020s, we are watching news about people burning in tanks and bombed houses. We are watching threats of nuclear war on TV," writes Navalny. "I am from the USSR. That's where I was born. The main slogan of the USSR from my childhood was 'fight for peace'. I call on everyone to take to the streets and fight for peace," he urged.

"Putin is not Russia. And if there is anything in Russia that you can be most proud of, it is the 6,824 people who were detained because they, for no reason, took to the streets carrying signs that read 'No to war'," the post states.

"They say that someone who has not been to a protest and does not risk arrest cannot call for a protest. I am in prison, so I think I can. We can no longer wait. Wherever you are, in Russia, in Belarus, or on the other side of the planet, go to the main square in your city every day at 2 PM," he wrote.

"If you are abroad, go to the Russian embassy. If you can organize protests, do it on weekends. Yes, on the first day, maybe only a few people will show up. And on the second - even fewer. But we must grit our teeth, overcome fear, and take to the streets and demand an end to the war. Everyone who is arrested must be replaced by two new protesters," Navalny's post states.

"If we want to stop the war, we must fill the prisons and paddy wagons with our own bodies. Everything has a price, and now, in the spring of 2022, we must pay that price. No one will do it for us. Let's not 'be against the war'. Let's fight the war," he concluded.