Russian opposition leader’s wife gives emotional speech after ‘Navalny’ wins Oscar

Alexey Navalny’s wife delivered a message for the imprisoned Russian opposition leader from the Oscars stage after a documentary about him won an Academy Award, saying she’s “dreaming of the day” that Russia “will be free.”

“My husband is in prison just for telling the truth,” Yulia Navalnaya said Sunday at the 95th annual Academy Awards, moments after “Navalny” picked up an Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature Film category.

“My husband is in prison just for defending democracy,” Navalnaya continued.

“Alexey, I’m dreaming of the day when you will be free and our country will be free. Stay strong, my love,” she said to applause.

Directed by Daniel Roher, the film detailed the 2020 assassination attempt on Navalny and the alleged connection to the Kremlin. Navalny has been imprisoned by the Russian government since 2021.

“There’s one person who couldn’t be with us here tonight,” Roher said as he accepted the Oscar at the ceremony in Los Angeles.

“Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition, remains in solitary confinement for what he calls — I want to make sure we get his words exactly right — ‘Vladimir Putin’s unjust war of aggression in Ukraine,’” Roher said.

“I would like to dedicate this award to Navalny, to all political prisoners around the world. Alexey, the world has not forgotten your vital message to us all. We cannot, we must not be afraid to oppose dictators and authoritarianism wherever rears its head,” Roher said.

The “Navalny” win marked the first time CNN Films took home an Academy Award.

“’Navalny,’ first and foremost, is about the passion, drive, and inspiring heroism of Alexey Navalny, who even as we celebrate this award continues to languish in a penal colony,” CNN Worldwide executive vice president of talent and content development Amy Entelis said in a statement following the win.