Yulia Navalnaya, Russia's steely new opposition politician out to avenge husband's death

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny, takes part in a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool

LONDON (Reuters) - Before the shock death of her husband Alexei in a grim Arctic prison last week, Yulia Navalnaya had always played down the idea she would one day take over as leader of Russia's opposition. But on Monday, she vowed to continue his fight.

In a video released three days after his death and less than a month before Russia's next presidential election, the 47-year-old mother-of-two alternated between rage and grief as she signalled she would try to help lead a shell-shocked opposition.