Putin unpredictable, could use nuclear weapon, Navalny's widow warns

The widow of late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has warned of the unpredictability of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the possibility that he might use nuclear weapons at some point cannot be ruled out.

"We don't know what to expect from him," Yulia Navalnaya told dpa. "He probably would do it."

She compared the question to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying she had not expected Putin to attack back then, given the strong ties between the two countries. "But he decided to do it. He frightens people, keeps them in fear. Nobody knows what Putin is going to do next."

Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after illegally occupying Crimea in 2014.

Navalnaya said she was not sure whether Putin really has a "strong strategy."

The Navalnys were the most prominent opposition activists in Russia for many years.

Navalny, a long-standing and staunch opponent of Putin, died in a prison camp in the Arctic Circle in Siberia on February 16. It has not been independently established whether the 47-year-old died naturally, as his death certificate says. However, his supporters say he was murdered.

Navalnaya also commented on the recent arrests of several suspected Russian spies in Europe, saying these are a further sign that Putin has long been waging war in the heart of Europe, using all means necessary.

"Putin did not just start, he has been doing this all along. He starts wars, he kills his opponents," she said, adding that their presence comes as no surprise to her. "I always assumed that there were many Russian spies in Europe: Russian spies, that’s obvious."