Alexei Navalny’s rise from blogger to Putin’s chief rival: Timeline

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny reportedly died Friday, leading to an outpouring of grief worldwide.

Navalny emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin and was a popular figure known for standing up to the Kremlin and corruption in Russia. 

From a small-time politician and blogger to a major opposition leader and Russian presidential candidate who was poisoned and then imprisoned until his death, here’s a timeline of the life of Navalny. 

1976 

Navalny is born June 4, 1976, to a military family in the town of Butyn, near Moscow. 

He spent much of his youth on the move with his family. He was a teenager when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. 

1990s 

Navalny graduates from the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia in 1997 with a law degree. In 2001, he completes an economics degree at the Russian government’s Finance Academy. 

In the ‘90s, Navalny works for a bank and a development company as a lawyer, according to Russian media. 

2000 

Navalny marries his wife, Yulia Navalnaya. The couple have two children together, a daughter named Dasha and a son named Zahar. 

Navalny also joins the Russian United Democratic Party (Yabloko), a liberal political party.

2001-2007 

In 2001, Navalny goes to work for the headquarters for deputy elections of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s federal parliament. 

In 2002, he is elected to office for the first time, becoming a member of the regional council for his party, Yabloko, in Moscow. 

From 2004-07, Navalny serves as the chief of staff of Moscow for Yabloko and also as deputy chairman of Yabloko in Moscow. 

He is later expelled from Yabloko after attending an ultranationalist, anti-immigration protest. Navalny is known to have anti-immigrant views. 

2008-2009 

Navalny makes a splash for the first time nationally when he published evidence of embezzlement funds for major state corporations, including Russian gas giant Gazprom. 

In 2009, he serves a brief stint as an adviser to the Russian governor of Kirov. 

2010 

Navalny becomes a prominent anti-Kremlin activist and blogger. He starts a website and organization called RosPil in 2009 devoted to publishing information about corruption in the state procurement of assets. 

Lawyers linked to RosPil also challenged many public procurements in court. 

2011 

Navalny establishes the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which became Russia’s largest anti-corruption organization. 

He also begins speaking out against United Russia, the dominant political party that is affiliated with Putin, calling it a party of “swindlers and thieves.” 

Navalny is arrested for taking part in protests against the State Duma, joining thousands of people to rally against what they considered widespread fraud. 

Navalny’s participation in the protests brings him into the global spotlight for the first time. 

2013

Navalny runs for Moscow mayor but loses. But he still draws nearly 1-in-3 votes, a relative success for an opposition candidate in Russia’s capital city. 

He is also indicted on charges of embezzlement from a lumber company, a case that was later overturned but then retried years later, giving him a suspended sentence. 

2014-2015 

Navalny’s anti-corruption activities increasingly draw the ire of the Kremlin. 

He publishes often embarrassing and satirical videos on YouTube of corruption, including spotlighting an expensive home owned by former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin ally.

In 2016, his Anti-Corruption Foundation publishes a major investigation into Medvedev that showcases his extraordinary accrual of wealth. 

2017-2018 

After Navalny announces he will run for president in 2018, he pushes for free and fair elections. 

But Russia’s courts bar him from running, citing his past sentencing. Navalny calls for protests against the decision. 

2020 

Navalny is poisoned with the Soviet nerve agent Novichok while on a flight to Moscow from Tomsk. 

He is transported to Berlin and recovers from the poisoning attempt. 

2021 

Navalny flies back to Russia from Germany and is quickly detained by Russian authorities. 

A judge rules he must serve more than two years in prison for his previously suspended sentence on embezzlement charges. 

Navalny publishes another major investigation into Putin’s wealth in a popular YouTube video called “Putin’s palace.” 

2022 

Navalny is sentenced to nine more years in prison on fraud charges that he denies. 

2023 

Navalny is sentenced to 19 years in prison on extremism charges that he says are political. 

Navalny also went missing for three weeks toward the end of the year, worrying his lawyers and support staff.

He later resurfaced and said he had been transferred to a remote Russian prison facility in Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula, a tundra above the Arctic Circle known as the “end of the world.” 

2024 

Russia’s federal prison service said Navalny collapsed during a walk and that he was unable to be resuscitated.

Supporters in Russia and world leaders quickly mourned him after news of his death, with President Biden pointing blame directly at Putin.