Memorial bench for Putin’s leading critic unveiled outside Russian embassy in Helsinki

A memorial bench honoring Alexei Navalny, the late Russian opposition leader, was unveiled Wednesday in a Helsinki park adjacent to the Russian embassy, according to a report by Finnish broadcaster Yle.

The bench, installed in Neitsytpuisto park along Tehtaankatu street, was placed at the suggestion of city officials to ensure visibility from the embassy’s windows. Its design features red H-shaped sides—evoking both the Cyrillic letter N and Navalny’s signature campaign color.

The project was organized by Initiative for Resistance and Dialogues, a group of Russian activists in Finland opposing President Vladimir Putin. “This memorial not only honors Navalny but also shows that many Russian-speaking people want to live in peace, freedom, and democracy,” group chair Nikita Kirillov told Yle.

Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation director Vladislav Romantsov, who unveiled the bench, noted that Putin had long avoided publicly naming Navalny—except once, “when he was murdered.” He added that the memorial would serve as a reminder to the embassy of Navalny’s enduring legacy.

Finnish lawmakers, including Social Democrat MP Kimmo Kiljunen and former Green League MEP Heidi Hautala, also spoke at the ceremony.

The unveiling coincided with what would have been Navalny’s 50th birthday. He died in February 2024 in a Siberian penal colony, where experts believe he was poisoned with a rare toad toxin. Western officials have held Russian authorities responsible. Navalny had previously survived a 2020 Novichok nerve agent attack, for which Russia’s security services were widely blamed.