Who Is Yulia Navalnaya, the Wife of Aleksei Navalny?


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Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny died Friday in an Arctic Circle jail

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After his death, his wife Yulia Navalnaya shared a photo of him kissing her forehead with a caption, "I love you"

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Here's what we know about her: The 47-year-old has been described in media as the "First Lady" of the Russian opposition


Image credit: yulia_navalnaya/Instagram


She met Alexei Navalny in Turkey while on holiday in 1998 and got married two years later

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Yulia, an economist by training, worked with several banks before getting married to Navalny

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As her husband's political career took off, she set aside her own professional aspirations and became dedicated to helping his cause

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She stood by her husband in his efforts to expose the Kremlin's corruption and appeared on his behalf at several public engagements 

Image Credit: yulia_navalnaya/Instagram


She attracted global attention in 2020, when Navalny was rushed to hospital on suspicion of poisoning. She demanded her husband be sent to Germany for treatment

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She then managed to get him out of the country as he lay in a coma,  becoming a de-facto spokeswoman for her husband

Image Credit: yulia_navalnaya/Instagram


Several independent Russian media outlets named her 'Hero of the Year' for 2020 for her refusal to bow to the will of the Russian authorities

Image Credit: yulia_navalnaya/Instagram


She often shares pics of her family life with her two children, Daria and Zakhar, who were born in 2001 and 2008

Image Credit: yulia_navalnaya/Instagram


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Image Credit: yulia_navalnaya/Instagram

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