Throughout history, the color red has been used by political leaders to symbolize passion, power and strength. Today, on Russian social media platforms red, is being used to symbolize solidarity with Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.
Aleksei Navalny is a Russian political figure and a longtime critic of Vladimir Putin. Over the years, he has been active on social media and has amassed an army of young Russian revolutionaries following his every move. He has publicly spoken out against Putin and his United Russia Party many times, stating it is a party full of “crooks and thieves”; and has compared it to the likes of the tsarist regime of the early 20th century.
Navalny had begun receiving treatment in Berlin, Germany this last August after he was poisoned with Novichok; a chemical weapon developed by Soviet scientists during the Cold War. This chemical is extremely lethal, and after five months of specialized treatment; Navalny flew back to Russia where he was immediately detained by police on Jan. 17, 2021.
Waiting for his return was his wife Navalnaya, who has always been his biggest ally and support system. She has been married to Navalny for over 20 years, and before her husband’s ascent into the political world, she worked in the banking industry and as an economist.
As her husband’s support and following grew stronger, Navalnaya assumed a more prominent and public role in the fight against Putin; and when referencing Putin’s fight against her husband, she made that clear, stating bluntly, that “I am not afraid”.
This sentiment quickly proved to be true; as upon Navanly’s detainment, she took to the streets and joined thousands of protestors opposing his detainment. She was also one of the protestors detained by the Russian police but was quickly released after paying a fine of 20,000 rubles.
On Feb. 2, Navalny stood trial and was sentenced to over two years in prison for violation of his parole. He is reported to have whispered to his wife the Russian phrase “не грусти, все будет хорошо”, which translates to “don’t be sad, everything will be okay.”
When the news of his imprisonment reached the public, his army of supporters came out in large numbers to express their solidarity and love for Navalnaya.
Navalnaya’s favorite color is red, and during her husband’s trial, she sported a bright red top making her stand out in the crowd. Inspired by this, the hashtag #негрустивсебудетхорошо has exploded on social media, with outlets being flooded with photos of Russians wearing red to show their support of Navalny and Navalnaya. As of February 11th, over 14,000 Instagram posts are featuring Russian women and men head-to-toe in red sweaters, coats, hats and shirts, all in support of the couple and their opposition to Putin.
In the digital world and age of social media, this display has been able to reach tens of thousands of people, as well as bringing even more young people into the fight for freedom.
In the coming weeks, a new leader will be sought after to fill the place of Navalny in his absence. In addition to showing their support for her, the social media campaign is being used as a rallying cry for Navalyna to fill her husband’s shoes, and to continue the fight against Putin and the Russian Unified Party.
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