A memorial bench honouring Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been unveiled in central Helsinki, within sight of the Russian Embassy.

The monument was revealed in Neitsytpuisto Park on Thursday, the day Navalny would have turned 50. The site sits beside the Russian diplomatic compound on Tehtaankatu in the Finnish capital.

The project was organised by Initiative for Resistance and Dialogues, a Finland-based association of Russian activists opposed to the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“This monument not only honours Navalny but also shows that many Russian-speaking people want to live in peace, freedom and democracy,” said Nikita Kirillov, chair of the organisation.

The memorial takes the form of a red bench. Its side panels are shaped like the Cyrillic letter “Н”, equivalent to the Latin letter “N” and the first letter of Navalny’s surname in Russian.

A plaque attached to the bench carries one of Navalny’s best-known statements: “If I am murdered, do not give up.”

The inscription appears alongside information in Finnish, Swedish, Russian and English.

According to organisers, the location was chosen following discussions with the City of Helsinki. The bench was positioned so that it remains visible from the Russian Embassy.

The ceremony was attended by Vladislav Romantsov, chief executive of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, the organisation founded by Navalny.

Romantsov said the Russian authorities had long sought to avoid mentioning Navalny by name.

“We want to give a face to a free Russia,” he said during the event, referring to the symbolism of placing the memorial beside the embassy.

Finnish politicians also joined the ceremony. Social Democratic MP Kimmo Kiljunen and former Green MEP and minister Heidi Hautala delivered speeches in support of the initiative.

Navalny survived an assassination attempt in 2020 after being poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent. He received treatment in Germany before returning to Russia, where he was arrested and imprisoned.

He died in February 2024 in a penal colony in northern Siberia.

Western governments and many international experts have held the Russian state responsible for his death. Russia has rejected those accusations.

HT