This is precisely why it is so important to think about Navalny these days, Scholz emphasized. He is “unchanged a courageous man” and stands for the principles “that show good prospects for many citizens of Russia. Namely, that one lives best in a democracy and a constitutional state.“
The most prominent opponent of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin barely survived an assassination attempt with the chemical warfare agent Novichok on August 20, 2020 and recovered from it in Germany. When he voluntarily returned to Moscow in January 2021, he was immediately arrested. The 46-year-old has been in prison ever since.
Scholz said he spoke to Navalny during his time in Berlin and “met a courageous man who returned to Russia because he wanted to fight for democracy, freedom and the rule of law”.