This is Navalny

I’ve followed Alexey Navalny for 11 years. I photographed him through countless arrests and rallies. During that time I’ve seen his rise as the only viable alternative to Vladimir Putin, the one that ended with the government’s brutal attack on Navalny himself, his organizations and supporters.

A political life that started as one of a daring blogger doing corruption investigations turned into an attempt to build up public politics in Russia from scratch. Navalny tried to institutionalize his movement by harnessing grassroots support all over the country. He ran for president in 2017, suffering from physical attacks and bureaucratic obstacles. And then in 2020 he was poisoned by alleged government agents.

That attack, which was supposed to result in death or exile, ended up leading to the biggest political gesture my generation will ever see. Last January, Navalny, still suffering from the consequences of the poisoning and openly threatened with jail time, flew back to Russia. He was detained and sent to a penal colony, and his supporters were beaten on the streets by the police. His organizations were pronounced illegal and extremist, his allies arrested or forced to emigrate.

Alexey Navalny yells at a rally in Astrakhan, Russia on April 14, 2012. A prominent online investigator, he then was becoming an important figure in Russian opposition and was actively encouraging local leaders to oppose the authorities. In Astrakhan he rallied in support of Oleg Shein, who ran for mayorship and claimed his loss on widespread voter fraud.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexei Navalny and his wife Julia enjoy a moment on a street in Kirov, Russia as Navalny’s supporter stands nearby on May 16, 2013. After Navalny emerged as an opposition leader, he was slammed with various criminal cases and was trialed in Kirov on embezzlement charges.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny is being taken in custody in Kirov, Russia on July 18, 2013. A local court in Kirov found him guilty on embezzlement charges that were widely seen as trumped up. Navalny was arrested immediately but released the next day after protests in Moscow. The conviction was later overturned by the European court of human rights.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny is greeting his supporters in Moscow, Russia on August 21, 2013. After being freed in Kirov, Navalny restarted his breakout campaign for Moscow mayorship and in a matter of weeks emerged as an only viable alternative to the incumbent candidate Sergey Sobyanin.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

An elderly woman looks admiringly at Alexey Navalny signing autographs at a campaign event on August 21, 2013 in Moscow, Russia. Navalny ended up second in the mayorship race, getting 27% of the votes, an unprecedented share for an anti-Kremlin candidate.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny’s apartment in Moscow, Russia is seen after a police raid on June 11, 2012. The apartment was being searched for 13 hours and masked police officers carried all the laptops and VHS cassettes out afterwards. This search happened to be first of at least a dozen that happened at Navalny’s home and office.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Armed police officer looks at the media gathered outside at the entrance of Anti-corruption foundation led by Alexey Navalny as its office is being searched on January 16, 2015 in Moscow, Russia.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny looks gloomly at his brother Oleg, who was placed in a court cage in Moscow, Russia on December 30, 2014. Both brothers were found guilty of fraud in another trial based on charges later overturned by the ECHR. Oleg was sent to a penal colony for 3,5 years as Alexey’s equal term was initially suspended.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny recalls a year he spent under house arrest as he is interviewed after a rally in Kaluga, Russia on June 11, 2015. Navalny said, walking on streets of Grand Theft Auto V’s San Andreas was the only activity he was able to get during that time.This photo was shot during a spontaneous interview, and there was no directing or posing.

Alexey Navalny and his chief political officer Leonid Volkov, are seen contemplating strategy for local elections at a road cafe in Kostromskaya oblast, Russia on September 4, 2015.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny speaks to locals in Sharya, a Russian town of 35 thousand some 660 kilometers from Moscow, on September 4, 2015. After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the opposition movement hit a new low. Navalny was then supporting a liberal party PARNAS and campaigned across Kostromskaya oblast, but they failed to make a cut for the local parliament.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Georgy Alburov, an investigator at Alexey Navalny’s Anti-corruption foundation, flies a drone with a virtual reality headset over prime minister Dmitry Medvedev’s residency on October 11, 2016. Alburov’s footage shot in Mansurovo, Russia, of one of the estates allegedly tied to Medvedev, was used in the foundation’s documentary narrated and produced by Navalny. Medvedev, who then was Russia’s prime minister, was accused of embezzling close to $1.2 billion.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny's wife Yulia prepares him for a press conference in Yekaterinburg, Russia on February 25, 2017. A couple of months earlier Navalny announced his presidential bid in order to challenge Vladimir Putin’s reelection for his fourth term.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene. Russian independent outlets were unable to afford a thorough year-long work during Navalny’s run for presidency in 2017. Therefore that work was commissioned by Navalny’s campaign with the politician himself publicly guaranteeing my independency and unrestricted access. Those promises were fulfilled.

Alexey Navalny speaks to thousands of locals in Khabarovsk, Russia, some 8300 kilometers from Moscow, on September 24, 2017. For the first time in modern Russian politics, Navalny’s insurgent campaign was meant to last for 18 months and have the candidate fly all over the country several times speaking directly to the voters.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene. Russian independent outlets were unable to afford a thorough year-long work during Navalny’s run for presidency in 2017. Therefore that work was commissioned by Navalny’s campaign with the politician himself publicly guaranteeing my independency and unrestricted access. Those promises were fulfilled.

Alexey Navalny looks at crumbling houses in Arkhangelsk, Russia, a city some 1000 kilometers from Moscow to the north, on October 1, 2017. Campaign trips let Navalny see the poverty many Russians live in.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene. Russian independent outlets were unable to afford a thorough year-long work during Navalny’s run for presidency in 2017. Therefore that work was commissioned by Navalny’s campaign with the politician himself publicly guaranteeing my independency and unrestricted access. Those promises were fulfilled.

Alexey Navalny, frightened, looks in the mirror after he was attacked with a caustic green liquid in Barnaul, Russia on March 20, 2017. From the beginning of his campaign, Navalny was constantly attacked by locals allegedly tied to the government. Later, an attack in Moscow will lead to a severe injury of his eye.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene. Russian independent outlets were unable to afford a thorough year-long work during Navalny’s run for presidency in 2017. Therefore that work was commissioned by Navalny’s campaign with the politician himself publicly guaranteeing my independency and unrestricted access. Those promises were fulfilled.

Alexey Navalny, with his wife and son, are being escorted by the police from a rally in Moscow, Russia on May 14, 2017. Navalny, his face still damaged by the attack that happened a month earlier, was constantly harrassed by the police as well. Out of 10 months he spent on a trail, 60 days were taken off with him being arrested.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny and members of his campaign and Anti-corruption foundation stuff head to Russian Central Election Сommission session in Moscow, Russia on December 25, 2017. The government has passed a law that prohibits anyone with a criminal conviction from running for office. Navalny’s conviction in Kirov trial was reaffirmed by another judge despite ECHR acquittal and he was barred from being in the ballot.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny is seen chanting in Moscow, Russia as he leads a crowd in support of boycotting the presidential elections on January 28, 2018.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny walks with Vladimir Kara-Murza in Strasbourg, France on January 24, 2018. Prior to the talk, Navalny spoke at the ECHR arguing against Russia in one of the many cases on his unlawful arrests at protest rallies. Kara-Murza, an opposition activist, was twice poisoned with what is alleged to be Novichok, a nerve agent created by the Russian government. In Strasbourg the couple was followed by a person who Navalny thought to be a Russian government’s agent.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Riot police officers in full gear stand in the arrival hall of Moscow Vnukovo airport on January 17, 2021. Alexey Navalny was poisoned in August 2020 with Novichok by alleged government agents. He was taken to Germany to be rehabilitated. As it was landing, his flight was rerouted to another airport and Navalny was arrested at the border.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny is seen being taken into custody at a police station in Khimki, near Moscow, Russia on January 18, 2021. The government claimed his treatment is Germany to be an avoidance of criminal conviction suspension terms. A judge was deliberately brought to the police station in order to arrest Navalny out of the public eyes.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Alexey Navalny supporters are met with police clubs in Moscow, Russia on January 23, 2021. Protests in support of Alexey Navalny were met with unprecedented police brutality. In Moscow alone 1558 participants were detained. 28 ended up with harsh prison terms.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.

Riot police officers are pushing the crowd of Navalny’s supporters out of the public square in Moscow on January 23, 2013.

Alexey Navalny is seen in a prison cage as he is about to be sent to a penal colony on February 20, 2021. Navalny was sentenced to serve 2 years 8 months and since then he had five new cases opened up against him. He might spend many more years in jail.

Police forces are seen in front of the gates of a penal colony in Pokrov, some 104 kilometers from Moscow, on April 6 2021. Alexey Navalny was sent to a colony known for its harsh terms. He was suffering from severe pain but was denied a medical exam. Navalny held a hunger strike for several weeks but the police forces stationed outside prevented his doctor from entering and arrested her.

Alexey Navalny speaks via a video link from a prison during a court session in Petushki, Russia, some 120 kilometers east of Moscow on December 28, 2021. This is the only way for him to be seen now.This is a news photo, shot without any influence over the scene.