Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny, has called on Russians to participate in a nationwide protest on election day, March 17, at noon.

In a YouTube video, Navalnaya drew inspiration from the overwhelming support displayed at her husband's recent funeral, following his death in a remote penal colony on February 16.

She emphasized the importance of the upcoming protest, echoing Navalny's vision of a unified demonstration against President Vladimir Putin without fear of reprisal.

“We need to use the election day to show that we exist and there are many of us. We are real, living people, and we are against Putin. You need to come to the voting station on the same day and at the same time — March 17 at noon”, Yulia Navalnaya said. “What to do next? The choice is yours. You can vote for any candidate except Putin. You can ruin the ballot, you can write “Navalny” in big letters on it. And even if you don’t see the point in voting at all, you can just come and stand at the polling station, and then turn around and go home”.

Since Navalny’s passing, Navalnaya has pledged to continue his work, making notable appearances in Western political circles, including meetings with President Joe Biden and addressing the Munich Security Conference and the European Parliament.

The Kremlin has vehemently denied Navalnaya’s accusations of Putin’s involvement in Navalny's death, maintaining that Navalny died of natural causes at the age of 47. Despite the Kremlin’s silence on the public response to Navalny’s passing.