What was Alexei Navalny's Net Worth?
Alexei Navalny was a Russian opposition leader and lawyer who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of his death. Though, it should be noted that it is difficult to accurately determine the exact net worth of Alexei Navalny as he did not publicly disclose his financial information. Additionally, the Russian government accused Navalny of financial wrongdoing and levied fines and seized assets from him. Alexei Navalny committed his career to fighting corruption in Russia. His efforts included presidential and mayoral campaigns, anti-government demonstrations, social media activism, and the founding of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. As a result of his work, Navalny was made a political prisoner and subjected to arrests, poisonings, and imprisonments. Ultimately and tragically, he died in prison on February 16, 2024 at the age of 47.
Early Life and Education
Alexei Navalny was born on June 4, 1976 in Butyn in what was then the Russian Soviet Republic of the Soviet Union. His parents are Anatoly and Lyudmila, who own a basket-weaving factory in Vologda Oblast. Navalny grew up in Obninsk and spent his summers with his grandmother in Ukraine. For his higher education, he went to the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, graduating in 1998 with a law degree. Navalny then attended the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, from which he graduated in 2001.
Career Beginnings
Navalny began his legal career in 1998. Since then, he has worked as a lawyer for various Russian companies. In 2000, Navalny entered the world of politics when he joined the Russian United Democratic Party Yabloko. A couple years later, he was elected to the regional council of the Party's Moscow branch, and two years after that became the branch's chief of staff. In 2005, Navalny launched the youth movement DA! – Democratic Alternative. He went on to co-found the National Russian Liberation Movement in 2007.
Anti-Government Demonstrations
In late 2011, Navalny joined the mass protests against electoral fraud in the recent parliamentary election. He was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 15 days in jail. Upon his release, Navalny urged Russians to unite in opposition against Putin's government. He then helped lead a demonstration of about 50,000 people. After Putin was elected in early 2012, Navalny helped lead another protest. The next year, Navalny was elected as the leader of the newly formed People's Alliance, an opposition party.
Moscow Mayoral Campaign
In June of 2013, Navalny announced his candidacy for Moscow mayor. The next month, he was sentenced to five years in prison on embezzlement and fraud charges first issued in 2012. However, he was freed on bail and allowed to remain in the race. Navalny went on to mount a successful campaign marked by unprecedented fundraising activity. Despite his efforts, he lost the election to the incumbent Sergey Sobyanin.
Presidential Campaign
In late 2016, Navalny announced his candidacy for the Russian presidency. However, early the following year, he was once again charged with a five-year suspended sentence. Navalny continued on unabated, organizing anti-corruption demonstrations in cities throughout the country. As a consequence, he was arrested and jailed a number of times, and was eventually barred from running for president. Navalny didn't back down, however, and continued to orchestrate protests and face numerous arrests.
Anti-Corruption Investigations
Since 2010, Navalny has conducted independent investigations into corruption by the Russian government and various companies and even into Vladimir Putin's net worth. He has published his findings through his non-profit organization the Anti-Corruption Foundation, as well as on his popular YouTube page and other social media channels. Navalny also continued to organize rallies throughout Russia.
In January 2021 a group associated with Navalny steered a boat in the black sea and launched a drone over a $1.4 billion palace they claim was built for Vladimir Putin.
(Photo by MAXIM ZMEYEV/AFP via Getty Images)
Poisoning
In August of 2020, Navalny became ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. After the plane made an emergency landing, he was hospitalized in a catatonic state. Navalny was soon transferred to a hospital in Germany, where it was confirmed that he had been poisoned with a nerve agent; Russia's Federal Security Service was later implicated in the incident.
2021 and 2022 Imprisonments
Navalny returned to Russia in early 2021. The day after his arrival, he was sentenced to detention for violating his previous parole, and was later ordered to a corrective labor colony. His verdict was met with widespread international outrage, sparking mass protests across Russia.
In early 2022, Navalny was issued an additional 10 to 15 years in prison on new fraud and contempt of court charges. Following a sham trial, he was found guilty and was sent to a maximum security prison. Navalny is considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.
Honors and Awards
Navalny has been the recipient of a myriad of honors due to his political and activist work. Some of his most prestigious awards have come in the wake of his 2021 arrest, including the Casimir Pulaski Foundation's Knight of Freedom Award and the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize. Navalny also received the Moral Courage Award from the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, an honor he dedicated to political prisoners.
Personal Life & Death
With his wife, economist Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny has a daughter named Dasha and a son named Zakhar.
Tragically, Alexey Navalny died on February 16, 2024 at prison in Yamalo-Nenets.
