Navalny urges restoration of 1991 borders, reparation payments to Ukraine by Russia

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s team issued a statement on Feb. 20 calling for the restoration of Ukraine’s 1991 borders and the payment of reparations by Moscow, independent Russian media outlet Meduza reported.

“What are the borders of Ukraine? The same as in Russia – internationally recognized, defined in 1991,” the statement said. “Russia must recognize these borders even now. There is nothing to discuss.”

The restoration of Ukraine’s borders, as defined in 1991, would include the return of Crimea to Ukraine, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Navalny’s statement contradicts his previous position regarding Crimea. In 2014, he falsely claimed that the peninsula is “de-facto"Russian. When asked about Crimea at the time, he added that it is not just a “sausage sandwich to pass back and forth,” implying that it would not be returned to Ukraine.

Navalny's current statement, comprised of 15 points, also called for the payment of reparations by Russia to Ukraine for its full-scale war.

“Let me re-emphasize that we will have to reimburse Ukraine for all the damage caused by Putin’s aggression after the war,” he said. “However, the restoration of normal economic relations with the civilized world and the return of economic growth will allow us to do so without interfering with the development of our country.”

Navalny noted that “Russia is suffering a military defeat” in Ukraine, adding that the “lives of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have been senselessly ruined.”

Navalny was poisoned with Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in August 2020, a move which is confirmed to have been executed by Moscow.

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The Kyiv Independent