Moscow:
Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most outstanding opposition chief, spent his remaining weeks in a penal colony above the Arctic Circle.
His 19-year jail sentence was broadly condemned by rights teams and within the West as punishment for daring to cross President Vladimir Putin.
By messages handed by way of his attorneys, he posted usually on social media in a characteristically optimistic and light-hearted tone.
Here’s what Navalny’s remaining weeks seemed like, in his personal phrases:
‘Ho-ho-ho’Â
On December 26, Navalny posted his first message from his new Arctic jail colony, having disappeared for weeks after being moved from his former jail nearer to Moscow.
The icy IK-3 jail colony within the Siberian area of Yamal-Nenets, some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) from his native Moscow, could be the place he spent his remaining few weeks.
“I’m your new grandfather Frost,” Navalny mentioned, in his typical tongue-in-cheek method.
“I’ve a tulup, an ushanka and I’ll have valenki quickly,” he mentioned, referring to conventional furry Russian winter coats, hats and boots.
“I now reside above the Arctic Circle … However I do not say ‘ho-ho-ho, I say ‘oh-oh-oh’ once I look out the window, the place first there’s night time, then night, then night time once more.”
Navalny mentioned he was drained from the 20-day journey from his earlier jail within the central Vladimir area, near Moscow.
“Don’t fret about me, all the things is nicely. I’m so completely satisfied that I lastly obtained right here.”
‘Occupied with Leonardo DiCaprio’Â
A couple of weeks later, after a spell in quarantine, Navalny shared extra particulars about his circumstances within the new Arctic jail.
“The concept Putin was happy (sufficient) that he had put me in a barracks within the Far North that they might cease throwing me in solitary confinement was … naive,” the 47-year-old mentioned.
Jail authorities advised him: “‘Convict Navalny refused to introduce himself within the right manner’. Seven days in solitary confinement.”
Navalny spent greater than 300 days in solitary confinement — or a “punishment cell” as his colleagues referred to as it, primarily based on its title in Russian — throughout his three years in jail.
He was ordered there on 27 events, typically for minor infringements of jail protocol.
Allowed out for a every day stroll within the pitch black of at 6:30 a.m., Navalny mentioned: “I promised myself I’d exit in any climate.”
His cell was “11 steps from wall to wall”.
“It has by no means been colder than minus 32 (Celsius). Even in such a temperature you may stroll greater than half an hour — solely when you’ve got the time to develop again a nostril, ears and fingers,” he mentioned in a January 9 put up.
“At present I used to be strolling, freezing and fascinated about Leonardo DiCaprio and his trick with a lifeless horse in The Revenant,” he mentioned, referring to a scene wherein his character crawls into an animal carcass to maintain heat.
“I do not assume it might work right here. A lifeless horse would freeze to loss of life inside quarter-hour.”
‘I am Russian’Â
Navalny additionally usually ridiculed jail routines.
On January 22, he mentioned the jail wardens at IK-3 would wake everyone up at 5 a.m. to play the Russian nationwide anthem.
“And proper after that — the second most vital tune within the nation: Shaman’s ‘Ya Russky,'” he mentioned.
The tune — which implies “I am Russian” — has grow to be an unofficial anthem for President Vladimir Putin.
“Think about the scene. Yamal-Nenets area. Polar night time. In a penal colony of convicts, prisoner Navalny serving 19 years — who the Kremlin’s propaganda for years has scolded for participating in Russian marches — is exercising to ‘Ya Russky'”.
‘Ship me cash’Â
In a court docket listening to on 15 February — a day earlier than his loss of life — Navalny was filmed joking with the decide over a stream of fines he had been issued.
“Your honour, I’ll ship you my private account quantity so that you simply, together with your big wage as a federal decide, can ship me cash,” he mentioned, laughing.
“I’m working out of money, and because of your selections, it can run out even sooner. So ship it!”
‘I like you’Â
Navalny’s final put up, printed on Valentine’s Day, was devoted to his spouse, Yulia.
“Child, you and I’ve all the things, similar to within the tune: cities, airfield lights, blue snowstorms and hundreds of kilometres between us,” he mentioned, quoting a well-liked Soviet-era tune.
“However I really feel that you’re close to me each second, and I like you an increasing number of.”
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)