- [Narrator] Alexei's widow, Yulia Navalnya,

is emerging as a new political force

after she promised to carry on her husband's struggle

for a free Russia.

The most vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin died

in an Arctic penal colony in mid-February.

He had been serving sentences amounting

to more than 30 years on various charges.

- Behind bars, he still had an incredible symbolic presence.

His death now really shows a hole

that has emerged now in the Russian opposition.

- [Narrator] So will Navalnya be able

to rally Russians disheartened by her husband's death?

- [Supporters] Navalny.

- [Narrator] For years,

Navalnya was a near-constant presence

by her husband's side during political protests

and court hearings.

- She was maybe not taking center stage with Navalny,

but she made herself seen and that was extremely important.

(siren ringing)

- [Narrator] When Navalny was poisoned

with a nerve agent in 2020,

it was his wife who pushed for clearance to fly him

to Germany for lifesaving treatment.

(Alexei speaking in Russian)

When he returned to Russia months later, she was with him

until the moment police detained Navalny at the airport.

Now with her husband dead

and millions of Russians grieving across the country,

Yulia Navalnya is calling on them to stand

with her against President Vladimir Putin.

(Yulia speaking in Russian)

- She doesn't have a base of her own,

and I don't think she has quite a message

of her own either right now.

Her husband was very well known internationally.

I think the very force of his character will continue

with her, perhaps more easily than in other cases,

but ultimately, she will be playing a role of trying

to gather European

and potentially American support as well

for further action against Vladimir Putin.

(people applauding)

- [Narrator] The role Navalnya could play

inside Russia is less clear

as most of the country's opposition figures are either dead,

in prison or scattered abroad in exile.

She herself has said

to continue her husband's work from abroad

but reaching out to people inside Russia will be tough

as dissent has been brutally crushed in recent years.

Even bringing flowers

to honor Navalny can lead to detention.

(person speaking in Russian)

(siren ringing)

(person speaking in Russian)

- Unlike Alexei Navalny,

whose moral force was based on his demand

to stay inside of Russia,

it doesn't make sense for Yulia Navalnya

to be inside of Russia.

Being outside of the country, however,

she faces a real uphill battle.

The Russian opposition is intensely patriotic

and the country itself is increasingly closed,

which makes it more and more difficult

to get that message into Russia.

- [Narrator] Almost a week after Alexei Navalny's death,

his mother finally saw her son's body.

(Lyudmila speaking in Russian)

But she says officials refuse to release his body

unless she agrees to a secret funeral.

- The Kremlin has always been afraid

of him being a martyr in one way or another

and being a rallying point in death or an illness

or in whatever of the opposition.

- [Narrator] The Kremlin dismissed allegations by Navalnya

that Putin killed her husband

and said it wasn't following the situation

with Navalny's body.

- Right now, there's a very understandable backlash

against Russia because of Navalny's death,

increased sanctions, condemnations.

I think more importantly going forward

is how we're going to see her develop

and implement a strategy

and what that strategy is going to look like.

(pensive music)