Alexei Navalny’s widow invited as Biden’s guest to State of the Union

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden invited Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, tobe their guest at Thursday’s State of the Union address, the White House has said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday told reporters the invitation had been extended to Ms Navalnaya, but said the Russian opposition figure will not be in First Lady Jill Biden’s box above the House floor when Mr Biden addresses Congress on Thursday.

“I can confirm that she was indeed invited to the State of the Union. She is no longer able to attend,” said Ms Jean-Pierre, who referred further questions to Ms Navalnaya’s representatives.

Mr Navalny’s funeral took place on Friday in Moscow, with thousands of people paying their respects under a large police presence. The opposition leader died under unclear circumstances at a penal colony in the Arctic Circle more than two weeks ago. The date of his death has been reported as 16 February.

Many have blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for his death. Mr Navalny, a 47-year-old attorney, was poisoned on a flight in 2020 with a substance traditionally used by the Russian security services.

He almost died, but recovered after receiving treatment in Germany, where Ms Navalnaya now lives in exile. The couple chose to return to Russia despite the overwhelming likelihood that Mr Navalny would be detained and that his life would likely be at risk.

Ms Navalnaya was unable to attend her husband’s funeral. She has said that she’ll continue her late husband’s work, thanking him for more than a quarter-century of “absolute happiness”.

On Instagram, she wrote: “I don’t know how to live without you, but I will try to do it in a way that you up there are