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Hope to see Putin go from being 'tsar' to ordinary prisoner: Navalny's widow

Hope to see Putin go from being 'tsar' to ordinary prisoner: Navalny's widow

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Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, said that she one day hopesto see Russian President Vladimir Putingo from being "tsar of Russia to an ordinary prisoner."

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Alexei Navalnydied in an Arctic prison in unclear circumstances in February. In an interview published with The Sunday Times on Sunday (Oct 20), Navalnaya said that she vowedto keep up her husband's work, but said she would not be returning to Russia to do so.

"I think he would love to keep me far from these political, dangerous things," she said.

'Will not return to Russia until...'

Navalnaya, who for many years has been based in Germany, told The Sunday Times that she would not return to Russiauntil she knew she "won't be imprisoned in an airport like Alexei", conceding that "nobody knows" when that might be possible.

In July, Moscow added Navalny's widowto its list of "terrorists" and "extremists", and also issued an arrest warrant.

On being asked about her feelings towards Putin, Navalnaya said that she did not hate the Russian president but wanted to see him in jail, "like my husband was."

Navalnaya also noted she had been "a bit sceptical" about the prospects for a mooted prisoner swap that involved Navalny before his death.

Two men accused of attacking Navalny's aide get bail

Navalnaya's interview to the British publication came as two Polish people suspected of attacking an exiled aide of Alexei Navalny, werereleased on bail from detention in Poland.

The former aide, Leonid Volkov, suffered injuries from hammer blows during the attack on March 12 outside his home in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. Two men suspected of attacking him were arrested in Poland in April on a European Arrest Warrant issued by Lithuania.

However, a report by the news agency Reuters on Thursday said that last week, a court in Warsawruled that they may be released after each paying$12,592bail.

(With inputs from agencies)