A Russian edition of the posthumously published autobiography of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, titled 'Patriot,' was spotted at a small bookstore catering to Russian-speaking readers in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday.

Navalny passed away in February 2024 in an Arctic penal colony, where he was held under widely condemned harsh conditions. AFP

Every day, well-wishers place flowers on the grave of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, demonstrating that he still has 'huge numbers of supporters,' according to his widow, Yulia Navalnaya. 'It was crucial for the (Moscow) regime that he should feel rejected by everyone. And that's clearly not the case,' Navalnaya, 48, told French broadcaster France Inter in an interview coinciding with the publication of her late husband's autobiography, 'Patriot.'

She emphasized the numerous letters Navalny received before his death in February 2024 in an Arctic penal colony, where he was held under widely condemned harsh conditions. 'Even after his death, it's still all going on. There are huge numbers of supporters of Alexei Navalny. And in Russia too, people visit his grave every day. His grave is covered with fresh flowers daily,' Navalnaya said.

For Navalnaya, her husband was 'the only real competitor to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin.' She herself vowed in a BBC interview on Monday to return to Russia and stand for election should Putin ever be toppled.

Navalnaya told France Inter she was 'not afraid' even though she does not believe herself '100-percent safe.' 'This regime has no real plan and no real strategy... There's no way to predict who will be attacked next,' she said. 'We have to be aware that Vladimir Putin's regime, having begun persecuting its political opponents, having launched the war, having killed its main competitor, will stop at nothing. Nothing will stop it,' Navalnaya added.

Following Navalny's death, his wife was added to Russia's 'terrorists and extremists' blacklist in July. She was already subject to an arrest warrant for 'membership of an extremist group.' Navalnaya lives outside Russia and has vowed to keep her husband's opposition cause alive.

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