Protesters in Moscow on October 7 with signs “We demand honest elections” and “We’re not leaving without Navalny”. Photo by Evgeny Feldman from https://navalny.feldman.photo/

Translated by Sarah Hurst

Original: https://navalny.com/p/5579/

For now I only know about how the actions of October 7 went from what the radio broadcasts.

But even so it’s clear to me: only you move the country forward – those who came out onto the streets yesterday or participated in any other way. And all our hope is in you.

In conditions when public politics in this country has been replaced by anonymous Telegram channels, when cowardice and self-censorship are signs of normality and adherence to the system, whom can Russia still count on as it slides down into backwardness and bigotry?

Only on you, who call white white, black black and are not prepared to give up your right to an opinion.

Anything that is alive and honest that can arise in Russian politics (and will arise, and then will certainly win), will be born only out of your sphere. I am glad to be together with you.

In Moscow, where no one was detained.

In St. Petersburg, where there were arrests.

In Yakutsk, where the Putinist scum in shoulder straps beat a man.

We, by the way, have once again convinced ourselves that the only source of and reason for violence is the government and the police, and not in any case the protesters. In the cities where police didn’t go for anyone, but just preserved order, everything went ideally.

A separate thank you to the municipal assemblies of Filevsky Park and Tverskoy districts (there may have been someone else, I know about those two) for their statements in support of people’s right to gather peacefully with their slogans.

This is a simple joy – seeing elected representatives for the first time in 20 years doing what we need most of all from them – saying on behalf of the people (!!!) who elected them: we must not live by those rules, but must do this. That is representative democracy. That is how it should work. We will arouse this.

Despite all the pressure we will continue to work and achieve what we want. The truth is on our side.