Patriot

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

Part 4 begins with a short introduction written by an unnamed third party. Navalny’s imprisonment began in January 2021 after a court in Russia sentenced him to three and a half years in prison for violating parole in the Yves Rocher case. Additional charges followed, including a slander case against a war veteran stemming from Navalny’s criticism of participants in a government propaganda video. His imprisonment intensified with a nine-year sentence for embezzlement in 2022 and a 19-year sentence for extremism in 2023.

These trials took place in secretive conditions, often within prison facilities, excluding family and journalists. Navalny’s incarceration conditions worsened over time. Initially held with other inmates, he was soon isolated in solitary confinement and frequently sent to the punishment cell (SHIZO) for trivial infractions like an unbuttoned uniform. He endured nearly a year in these harsh cells and was denied visits, phone calls, and consistent access to writing materials. His health suffered due to limited medical care, prompting a 24-day hunger strike in March 2021, eventually forcing authorities to allow doctors to see him. In December 2023, Navalny disappeared from prison without notice.