Yulia Navalnaya pledges to use US-based rights role to step up battle against Putin

Navalnaya said after her husband’s death that she wanted to continue his work and has since met world leaders and suggested sanctions she believes would hasten the end of the current political system in Russia.

“As someone who has personally witnessed the threat dictatorships pose to our loved ones and the world at large, I am deeply honoured to take on the role of chair of the Human Rights Foundation,” Navalnaya, 47, said in the HRF statement.

Writing on X in Russian, she said her appointment would allow the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) that her late husband founded to share more widely its experience in conducting high-profile investigations and organising the work of activists.

There were also plenty of ideas which the ACF could borrow from the US-based foundation she would chair, she said.

“We will take on board everything that can be useful to fight Putin, to fight for the beautiful Russia of the future,” said Navalnaya.

“The main thing for me is the continuation of Alexei’s work. I believe that working with HRF can help me and the whole team to do that.”

Authorities in Russia have not so far designated Navalnaya as a “foreign agent” – a tag they have used to try to stigmatise other opponents.

The Kremlin has also commented on her sparingly, while suggesting that her presence outside Russia means she is out of touch with Russians and the pulse of her own country, an idea she has dismissed.