Aleksei Navalny, ‘Indomitable Spirit’

More from our inbox:

• The Scrutiny of Fani Willis’s Love Life
• Ex-Justice Stephen Breyer’s Tribute to a French Legal Star
• G.O.P. ‘Moral Collapse’
• The World Our Children Will Inherit

To the Editor:

Re “Aleksei Navalny, Putin Critic, Dies in Prison, Russian Authorities Say” (nytimes.com, Feb. 16):

Aleksei Navalny’s courage, fortitude, indomitable spirit and unshakable moral clarity will stand the test of time and serve as beacons of hope for victims of oppression and totalitarianism everywhere.

While the world mourns amid reports of his passing, Mr. Navalny’s legacy and all that he stood for during his relatively short life will never diminish in their capacity to inspire the collective will to be free despite the seemingly overwhelming obstacles in realizing this basic human desire in many parts of the world, including Mr. Navalny’s homeland.

Mark Godes
Chelsea, Mass.

To the Editor:

Aleksei Navalny’s heroic efforts for the principles of freedom, even up to his reported death, is in stark contrast to those Republicans in the U.S. Congress who refuse to pass an economic/military aid bill to support Ukraine’s effort to thwart Russia’s invasion. Shame on them.

John W. Kusek
Ithaca, N.Y.

To the Editor:

With the reported death of Aleksei Navalny at 47, after he was apparently in good health and spirits just the day before, the ultimate responsibility rests with Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Navalny no doubt knew that his return to Russia after Mr. Putin’s agents attempted to kill him by placing a deadly poison in his underwear was a high risk. Yet he and his organization persisted in exposing the massive corruption and evil of the Putin regime in spite of Mr. Navalny’s Arctic imprisonment.

No wonder the Ukrainians are fighting so bravely to escape Mr. Putin’s tyranny. How despicable that Donald Trump and his enablers undermine what Mr. Navalny and so many others have died for: democracy.