Yulia Navalnaya bio, age, children, height, photos, where is she now 2024

Biography of Yulia Navalnaya

Yulia Navalnaya is the wife of Russian politician Alexei Navalny. Yulia has always supported her husband and shared his views, although Alexei once admitted in that on many issues his wife is "much more radical than he is."

Childhood

Yulia was born in 1976 in Moscow. Her father, Boris Alexandrovich Abrosimov, was a research associate. Her mother's name is unknown, but available information indicates she worked at the Ministry of Light Industry of the USSR. When Yulia was still very young, her parents separated, and her mother remarried. Her new husband was an employee of the State Planning Committee of the USSR. Yulia's biological father passed away in 1996.

However, in recent years, the press has been filled with numerous false claims that Yulia's father is alive and that he was not a research worker but a KGB agent. For example, journalist Alexander Sotnik, who conducted his own investigation, claimed this, followed by Oleg Kashin and Ksenia Sobchak. According to them, Yulia Navalnaya's father is the currently alive secretary of the Russian embassy in the United Kingdom, Boris Borisovich Abrosimov. Both Yulia Navalnaya and her husband denied these speculations. The politician even posted a death certificate of his father-in-law dated 1996 in his blog.

Education

It is known that Yulia Abrosimova (her maiden name) graduated from the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, where she studied at the Faculty of Economic Relations. She mentioned this during an interview with her husband conducted by Yuriy Dud.

Navalnys – interview after the poisoning

The young woman completed internships abroad and then continued her studies in graduate school. Yulia also worked at one of the capital's banks, but she does not disclose which one.

Meeting Alexei Navalny

In 1998, Yulia met a young lawyer named Alexei Navalny while on vacation in Turkey. According to their friends, Yulia impressed Alexei by knowing the names of all the ministers of Russian government.

Yulia Abrosimova and Alexei Navalny in their youth

Upon returning to Moscow, the young couple continued to see each other, and they got married in 2000. At that time, it was impossible to predict that Navalny would become a famous blogger exposing corrupt power, would run for the Mayor of Moscow, and even for the President of Russia, and become the main enemy of Vladimir Putin. Navalnaya herself admitted that she married not a politician or a promising lawyer but a young man named Alexei, knowing full well that life with him could take dramatic turns.

Soon after getting married, the newlyweds joined the liberal political party "Yabloko." In 2001, the couple had their first child, a daughter named Dasha (Daria), followed seven years later by a son named Zakhar (Zachary).

For a while, Yulia worked in Alexei's parents' business, a wicker-weaving enterprise. What her exact duties were remains unknown.

Yulia admitted that she and Alexei tried not to hide anything from their children. She would honestly tell the kids when their father was serving time in a special detention center, explaining where he was and why. At four years old, Dasha declared in kindergarten that her father "works at rallies," and in the second grade, she said that "dad fights against crooks." Naturally, the opposition leader's daughter fully supported Alexei, as did his son.

Yulia Navalnaya: 'Children know where dad is when he is put in jail'

It should be noted that despite the friendly climate in the family, Alexei and Yulia were always quite strict with their children. For example, Dasha's conversation with a friend once leaked online, where she complained about her mother's harsh words. Yulia allegedly told her that if she failed in her studies, the peak of her career would be working in a coffee shop. It is not known how true these words are, but the girl herself noted in her posts that she had a difficult relationship with her mother during her teenage years.

In 2007, the couple experienced a "sharp turn" in their lives – one of those that Yulia had subconsciously expected from her husband. Due to disagreements with the leadership of the "Yabloko" party, particularly with Grigory Yavlinsky, Navalny left the organization and began his own activities as an anti-corruption activist. The lawyer started his blog, where he began publishing materials about embezzlement in Russian state companies. Yulia became his first assistant and secretary. Navalnaya gradually began to emerge as a public figure, sometimes being called "the Decembrist's wife" and "the first lady of the opposition" by the media. According to available information, she left "Yabloko" later than her husband – in 2011.

Until 2018-2021, Yulia remained mostly in her husband's shadow. Since Navalny periodically faced administrative arrest starting in 2011, she largely took on the household responsibilities. She did not make many public statements on political topics, but when she did, they sounded a bit more radical than her husband's.

Yulia Navalnaya at a rally on Sakharov Avenue (06.09.2013)

For example, she called Viktor Zolotov, the head of the Rosgvardiya, a "gangster" after he challenged Navalny to a duel in September 2018. Yulia never let anyone insult her husband, and later, after the story with Alexei's poisoning, she sharply criticized Doctor Roshal, stating that she did not respect him and considered him not a doctor but a "voice of the state."

In 2018, Yulia became more visible due to the upcoming presidential elections. Alexei Navalny was not allowed to participate in them because of his criminal record, leading to discussions in opposition circles about Yulia potentially trying to run in his place. Ksenia Sobchak stated that she suggested this option to Navalny, but according to her, the opposition leader disagreed.

The Poisoning of Alexei Navalny

In August 2020, the Navalny family experienced an event that required Yulia to display utmost courage and determination.

Yulia Navalnaya supports her husband and shares his views

The politician was touring cities in Siberia and the Far East. On August 20, during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow, he suddenly fell ill. The plane made an emergency landing in Omsk and Navalny was rushed to a local hospital. It later became clear that the actions of the plane's crew and emergency doctors saved his life. But at the time, Alexei, who showed symptoms of poisoning by an unknown substance, was in a coma. Yulia flew to Omsk urgently.

Upon arrival, it turned out that she was not allowed to see her husband. The chief doctor of the Omsk hospital did not provide her with any clear information. The hospital was full of police, and medical staff were not allowed to communicate with Yulia or Navalny's associates, nor was his personal doctor allowed to see the politician.

Alexei's wife was in contact with German doctors who flew to Omsk urgently to transport the politician. They stated that the patient was fit to be transported, however, the Russian side claimed the opposite and did not want to release Navalny. Yulia said that at that moment, she learned to calmly speak the words "death" and "dying," although she used to scold her relatives whenever they said something similar. Later, Yulia admitted that during those hours she thought her husband would die.

Nevertheless, after a few days, thanks to the efforts of Yulia and Navalny's friends, he was flown to Germany on a private jet where he underwent treatment at the Charité hospital in Berlin.

Yulia Navalnaya with her family at the Charité clinic

Photos of Yulia that made it to the press showed that the ordeal had taken a toll on her health, but she did everything to help her husband. When Alexei emerged from the coma in early September 2020, he wrote a touching social media post in which he confessed that he did not recognize people, did not understand where he was, and did not even speak, but he was always waiting for a woman whose arrival made him feel better — that was Yulia.

Alexei and Yulia Navalny in January 2021 in Germany

Later, it was revealed that the politician had been poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. Navalny accuses the Russian leadership and special services of being behind the attack. The Kremlin denies this information. The management of the Omsk clinic claimed that what happened to Navalny was a metabolic disorder.

Alexei Navalny's Arrest

In mid-January 2021, Yulia and her husband flew to Moscow from Berlin, where Alexei had been undergoing treatment. During the flight, journalists captured many touching moments, such as the couple watching the animated series "Rick and Morty" together.

Archive video shows Alexei Navalny being detained in Moscow on plane

Upon arrival, Navalny was immediately detained, and Yulia once again had to take on the role of a "Decembrist's wife." She did everything in her power to help her husband. At the court hearings, they exchanged touching gestures.

Yulia and Alexei Navalny returning to Russia

In February 2021, the press once again discussed the hypothetical participation of Yulia Navalnaya in the elections. On February 8, Igor Lebedev, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, stated that Navalnaya posed no threat to the authorities as a candidate.

However, the next day, it was revealed that the Association for the Development of Business Patriotism in Russia "AVANTI" proposed banning foreign agents and their family members from running in elections at all levels. The businessmen directly stated that their initiative was primarily aimed against Yulia Navalnaya and would prevent a Belarusian scenario in Russia. In Belarus, recall that in 2020, after the arrest of opposition figure Sergei Tikhanovsky, his wife Svetlana began collecting signatures on his behalf and later led the protests. In early 2023, Yulia and her children took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to accept the statuette awarded to the documentary film "Navalny."

'Navalny' Wins Best Documentary Feature Film | 95th Oscars (2023)

Yulia Navalnaya's Personal Life

Yulia supports her husband's views. In her opinion, Alexei strives to make life better. Alexei reciprocates her support. He has said that he can't even lie on the sofa unless she is looking at him.

Yulia usually dresses very modestly but elegantly, preferring a casual style. Occasionally, the woman can be seen in T-shirts with political statements, but mostly she wears jeans and hoodies.

Yulia Navalnaya Now

On February 16, 2024, it was reported that Alexei Navalny died in the "Polar Wolf" colony located in the Harp settlement, beyond the Arctic Circle. On that day, Yulia was scheduled to speak at the opening of the Munich Security Conference. Just before it began, she heard the terrible news and, in her words, pondered for a long time whether to fly back to her children immediately or to stay and give her speech, and she chose the latter.

Alexei Navalny’s death causes shockwaves at the Munich Security Conference

On February 19, Navalnaya made a statement, vowing to continue her husband's work.

Yulia Navalnaya: I continue the work of Alexey Navalny