Alexei Navalny once hit out at the “corrupt officials” living in London who allegedly help Vladimir Putin’s regime stash dirty money, Sky News can reveal.
In a never-before-seen interview acquired by Sky News, the late Russian opposition leader spoke about his hope for a better future for his country – and the risks he knew he was taking.
“I am an optimist,” he said. “I hope that this 20 years of Putin is not set in stone. We weren’t doomed to it, we weren’t meant to go in that direction.”
He made the comments in an interview four years before his death in a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle.
Considered to be the most vocal critic of President Putin, Mr Navalny collapsed and died on 16 February.
The interview was conducted in February 2020 and is believed to be one of the last that Mr Navalny would give while in full health.
In August that year he was poisoned while on a flight back to Moscow.
Image:
Alexei Navalny in the unaired interview from 2020
The wide-ranging interview takes in his hopes for a Russian future as part of Europe, his personal safety and some tough words for Britain and the West when it came to letting Mr Putin’s associates get away with it.
The interview, acquired by Sky News and broadcast for the first time, was shot as part of an unaired documentary series, After The Fall, directed by Matthew Torne and produced by Andrew Duncan.
“The West does nothing at all, I would say. There are some ritual dances, but nothing really happens,” Mr Navalny says.
“Why do corrupt officials still live in London? Because these corrupt officials feed a huge number of wonderful London lawyers.
Navalny interview is a damning indictment
Dominic Waghorn
@DominicWaghorn
After the fall of communism, Russia faced a choice between growing authoritarianism and kleptocracy or more freedom, democracy and ultimately prosperity.
Alexei Navalny embodied that alternative to the dark years of Vladimir Putin. He represented a future many there yearn for – a vision dealt a body blow by his death.
The interview acquired by Sky News underlines what Mr Navalny offered. It reminds us of what he was, a new kind of politician for Russia, young charismatic, forward looking and engaging.
“I am an optimist,” he tells the camera in the interview four years ago, “I hope that this 20 years of Putin is not set in stone. We weren’t doomed to it, we weren’t meant to go in that direction.”
It was one of the last interviews he would give in full health. A few months later he was poisoned before spending three years in jail and ultimately dying in custody.
Read Dominic Waghorn’s full analysis here
“These people, they will appear very civilised, we will be pleased to chat with them if they sit next to us, they will be wearing a tie and fine manners, and at the same time they are serving the interests of utter, complete bandits.”
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office paid tribute to Mr Navalny’s life exposing Russian corruption.
It added: “The UK has sanctioned 2,000 indiuals, companies and groups under our Russia sanctions regime alone, while directly targeting Putin-linked elites in the UK through the National Crime Agency’s Combatting Kleptocracy Cell. Corruption and kleptocracy will never be welcome on our shores.”
Image:
A vigil in Paris for Alexei Navalny. Pic: Reuters
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In words that echo louder now after his death in prison, Mr Navalny adds: “Russia is a European country, all the people who live here want to live like Europe.
“So I hope that 10 years from now, if you interview me again, I’ll be able to tell you how we managed to overcome the corrupt money laundering.”
