Navalny’s Budapest memorial torn down amid emerging new details of his death

Foreign laboratory tests on biological samples believed to be from Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a Russian prison, have revealed how he may have been killed, according to a statement made public on Wednesday by his exiled widow, Yulia Navalnaya. Meanwhile, unknown individuals have repeatedly destroyed a memorial in Budapest dedicated to the late politician—an act the Russian embassy suspects is part of a coordinated left-liberal attack.

Navalny’s Budapest memorial ‘bulldozed’ multiple times in recent days

According to media reports, civilians created the Navalny memorial in Terézváros, in a symbolic location directly opposite the Russian embassy, and have maintained it ever since. The installation resembles the monument commemorating victims of the Nazi occupation and incorporates a railing from the M1 metro stairway. Photographs were pinned to it, and citizens placed flowers around it. Local councillor János Oláh (Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party – MKKP) said that residents had maintained the site for the past year and a half.

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Yesterday, however, unidentified individuals bulldozed the memorial. Oláh managed to partially restore it, only for it to be torn down again. “At first I thought this was a one-off act of vandalism. Now I believe it’s the work of a methodical perpetrator,” wrote Oláh on Facebook. He has since rebuilt the site again and announced that a civilian commemoration for the former Russian opposition leader will be held there on the 24th.

Yesterday, however, unidentified individuals bulldozed the memorial. Oláh managed to partially restore it, only for it to be torn down again.

“At first I thought this was a one-off act of vandalism. Now I believe it is the work of a methodical perpetrator,” Oláh wrote on Facebook.

He has since rebuilt the site once more and announced that a civilian commemoration for the former Russian opposition leader will be held there on the 24th.

Permanent memorial planned

“Aleksei Navalny stood for freedom, truth and integrity—values that are just as important to us here in Terézváros and Budapest. His conviction and courage are a model for all of us who believe that speaking truth to power matters, even under the most terrifying conditions,” wrote Terézváros mayor Tamás Soproni of the Momentum party. He added that, in collaboration with the capital, they intend to propose the erection of a permanent memorial. This detail triggered a reaction from the Russian embassy.