Julija Navalnaja to speak at SuomiAreena next summer
The renewed SuomiAreena will bring international guest speakers to provide debate openings for the national public debate. One of the official keynote speakers for 2025 will be Julija Navalnaja, a figurehead of the Russian opposition and resistance movement. In addition to her speech, Navalnaya will take part in a panel discussion and meet Finnish decision-makers during the festival week.
This summer’s keynote speaker at SuomiAreena will be Julija Navalnaja, an exiled Russian opposition and resistance figure and freedom fighter. The widow of the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has publicly accused the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin of her husband’s murder. She continues to be a prominent critic of the Russian regime, including as President of The Human Right Foundation and as a successor to the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which Alexei Navalny founded in 2011.
– SuomiAreena is a great opportunity to come to Finland to discuss my husband’s battle and why it is important for me to continue it. I look forward to meeting Finns and discussing important current events in Pori, says Julija Navalnaja.
Navalnaja will talk in SuomiAreena about resilience and courage, politics and what it means to lead an opposition organisation in exile – the West’s strategy towards Russia and why she believes there is still reason to be optimistic about Russia’s development.
She will also take part in a panel discussion and meet Finnish decision-makers. The exact dates of the speech and the panel will be announced closer to the SuomiAreena week.
– We warmly welcome Julija Navalnaya to SuomiAreena. Her topic is not only very important but also very topical. Security, resilience, Russia and the future are all themes that will feature strongly in this summer’s event, says Antti Lehtinen, CEO of SuomiAreena.
SuomiAreena will take place in Pori from 24.6.-27.6.2025.
