Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the opposition chief Aleksei A. Navalny, lined up with voters exterior the Russian embassy in Berlin on Sunday, in one among her few public appearances since her husband’s loss of life final month.
Ms. Navalnaya has vowed to hold on her husband’s work. Her presence on the embassy on Sunday to vote in Russia’s presidential election gave the impression to be following one among Mr. Navalny’s final political exhortations earlier than he died: Endorsing one other activist’s name for opponents of President Vladimir V. Putin to point out up on the polls on Sunday at midday native time.
Ms. Navalnaya declined to remark to reporters whereas standing within the mile-long line, flanked by her husband’s longtime spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh. However she hugged and took pictures with supporters who approached her, a few of them in tears.
After about six hours of ready, Ms. Navalnaya emerged from the Russian Embassy. She advised reporters that she had written in “Navalny” on her poll.
By 1 p.m., the road of voters stretched for almost a mile by central Berlin, ending simply previous an indication marking the situation of Hitler’s World Struggle II bunker. A number of individuals ready to solid ballots mentioned they deliberate to vote for anybody apart from Mr. Putin — though the alternate options had been Kremlin-approved candidates — or to put in writing in Mr. Navalny’s identify.
Yulia Lozovskaya, 29, who moved to Germany from St. Petersburg after Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, was one among many who sought out Ms. Navalnaya after studying on social media that she was standing someplace within the line.
“You are feeling you’re not alone,” Ms. Lozovskaya mentioned, referring to the dimensions of the group. “And that provides huge power.”
