Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who was President Vladimir Putin's main political opponent before his death in February, believed he would die in prison, he wrote in his posthumous memoirs to be published on October 22.
The New Yorker newspaper published excerpts from the book, which included texts from Navalny's prison diary as well as earlier writings.
"I will spend the rest of my life in prison and die here," he wrote on March 22, 2022.
"I will have no one to say goodbye to ... All anniversaries will be celebrated without me. I will never see my grandchildren."
Navalny was serving a 19-year prison sentence on charges of "extremism" in an Arctic penal colony.
His death on 16 February at the age of 47 sparked widespread condemnation, with many blaming Putin.
Navalny was arrested in January 2021 on his return to Russia after suffering a serious health problem from poisoning in 2020.
"The only thing we have to fear is that we will betray our homeland only to have it plundered by a gang of liars, thieves and hypocrites," he wrote on January 17, 2022.
The excerpts capture the loneliness of prison, but also a touch of humor.
For example, on July 1, 2022. Navalny describes his typical day: waking up at 6:00 a.m., having breakfast at 6:20 a.m. and starting work at 6:40 a.m.
"At work you sit for seven hours on the sewing machine on a stool below knee height," he writes.
"After work, you continue to sit for several hours on a wooden bench under Putin's portrait. This is called 'disciplinary activity'.
The book, titled "Patriot," will be published by American publisher Knopf, which is also planning a Russian version.
"It is impossible to read Navalny's prison diary without being outraged by the tragedy of his suffering and his death," writes New Yorker editor David Remnick.
In the last excerpt published in the magazine, dated January 17, 2024, Navalny answers the question posed to him by his fellow prisoners and jailers: why did he return to Russia?
"I don't want to give up my country or betray it. If your convictions mean something, you must be prepared to stand up for them and make sacrifices if necessary," he says. | BGNES
