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Alexei Navalny, currently imprisoned in a distant jail in the Arctic Circle, has stated that he is now compelled to start his day with the Russian national anthem and a pop song from Vladimir Putin’s preferred singer at 5am.
The outspoken opponent of the Kremlin is currently imprisoned in the IK-3 penal colony located in Kharp, within the Yamal-Nenets region approximately 1,900km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.
Navalny, 47, has kept up an unceasing campaign against the Kremlin from behind bars. He says he has been poisoned, handed a long prison term in one of Russia’s toughest prisons and locked up in a cell where he can only pace back and forth for 11 steps.
Furthermore, he is now obligated to hear a daily pro-Putin pop song by singer Shaman early in the morning.
“I was unable to witness or hear Shaman’s performance on stage as I was already detained at the time. However, I am aware that he is now known as Putin’s top singer and his song ‘I’m Russian’ is highly popular,” Mr. Navalny stated on Twitter, previously known as X.
Most people are aware of it, there are even mock versions of it that have been documented, and so forth. Naturally, I was intrigued to hear it, but how could I in a prison? Eventually, I was transported to Yamal.
“At this location, every morning at 5 o’clock, we are awakened with the phrase: ‘Rise and shine!’, followed by the playing of the Russian national anthem. Directly after, the country’s second most significant song, ‘I’m Russian’ by Shaman, is performed,” he stated.
The words of the song performed by Shaman, a popular choice for official ceremonies, are as follows: “I am Russian. I will battle until the very end… I am Russian, my father’s blood runs through me, hey-hey… I am fortunate to be Russian… I am Russian, in defiance of the entire world.”
The lawyer and anti-corruption advocate is currently imprisoned for 19 years for alleged acts of extremism.
Mr. Navalny stated: “Just imagine the scene: the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District during the polar night, with a hut in the special-regime colony for violators.”
He playfully mentioned that he currently works out to the tune “I’m Russian”.
Alexey Navalny, a prisoner who has been given a 19-year sentence, has been the target of constant propaganda from the Kremlin due to his involvement in Russian protests. He recently shared that he is being made to exercise to the song “I’m Russian” as part of his correctional activities.
“I must admit, I am still unsure about the true meanings of post-irony and meta-irony. If those aren’t the correct terms, then what are they?” Mr Navalny stated, including a wink emoji in his message.
Mr Navalny has previously made light-hearted remarks about his difficult prison conditions before.
In December, Mr. Navalny returned from a three-week absence, and he joked with the judge to demonstrate that the Kremlin is unable to defeat him, despite the lengthy prison sentence he may receive for charges that have been condemned as politically motivated by the global community.
According to Mr Navalny’s team, he has been transferred to a distant detention center referred to as “Polar Wolf”. This explains his disappearance last month. It takes three weeks to travel the grueling 1,200 miles to the harsh prison, by both road and rail.
The advocate elicited chuckles from the magistrate when he inquired about a potential celebration at the Melekhovo facility located east of Moscow, where he had previously been detained. His question included the presence of karaoke.
He also inquired about the possibility of a nude party being held in the prison. This was a nod to a recent event in Moscow where famous individuals were dressed in revealing attire, which received backlash from conservative media outlets in the country.
In January 2021, Mr Navalny was imprisoned upon his return to Moscow from Germany where he had been recovering from nerve agent poisoning. He accused the Kremlin of being responsible for the poisoning. Prior to his arrest, he had been actively advocating against government corruption and organizing significant protests against the Kremlin.
Source: independent.co.uk
