'I am not afraid': Yulia Navalnaya, 'first lady' of the Russian ...

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED."If we keep silent, [the government] will come after any of us tomorrow," Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, wrote on Instagram last month. Now, as her husband faces over two years in prison, many are wondering if she might step into the leadership role left empty by his absence, potentially heading the opposition movement herself."While Navalny remains in prison, there will be a lot of pressure now on Yulia Navalnaya to play a great public role as a leader of the opposition," former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul told NBC News’ Know Your Value. The couple flew back to Moscow in January, steadfast despite the extraordinary risk they faced.She addressed a crowd of supporters last month, telling them: "I am not afraid, and I urge you all not to be afraid either."Senior members of Navalny's anti-corruption organization, FBK, have dismissed speculation of Navalnaya assuming a more prominent leadership role. "But politics storms into families' lives whether you like it or not."Navalnaya's recent role as the "first lady" stands in contrast to the Soviet tradition, according to Dr. Valerie Sperling, professor of political science at Clark University and author of "Sex, Politics, and Putin: Political Legitimacy in Russia." "You didn't see the Soviet leaders with their wives," Sperling explained.In addition to her husband, Navalnaya herself may have been poisoned while on a family vacation last year, according to CNN.