Aleksei Navalny
Memorial Bench
in Helsinki
Implementation of the memorial bench project in honor of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny in the capital of Finland.
Alexei was murdered in prison by the Russian authorities because he defended each of our rights to freedom, sought to bring democracy to Russia, and to open people’s eyes to what was happening.
We want the memorial in Helsinki not only to honor Alexei Navalny but also to show the international community that there are many Russian-speaking people who want to live in peace and freedom.
Our non-profit organization Initiative FoReDi ry has received official permission from the City of Helsinki to carry out this project — near the Embassy of the Russian Federation on Tehtaankatu, in Neitsytpuisto Park. The design of the bench is created in a restrained Nordic style. The central element of the memorial will be the bench legs, painted red to symbolize the first letter of Alexei’s surname — “Н” (the first letter of Navalny’s surname in the Russian alphabet). The concept of the memorial was proposed by Taisiya Vladimirova as part of an open competition organized by our association. In addition, the bench will bear a plaque with Alexei Navalny’s quote: “If they kill me — don’t give up”, along with informational inscriptions in four languages: Russian, English, Finnish, and Swedish.
On October 1, 2025, our organization Initiative FoReDi announced the start of fundraising for the project officially registered with the Finnish Police under registration number RA/2025/1398.
We are happy to announce that on October 27, 2025, we are successfully completing the fundraising ahead of schedule for the Aleksei Navalny Memorial in Helsinki!
We have managed to collect the full amount required for the implementation of the project!
The project received financial support from 114 people across 23 countries, with a total of €9,797 raised.
These funds will cover the costs of manufacturing the bench, preparing the foundation, transportation and installation, creating the memorial plaque, maintaining the bank account, service fees, and municipal permits.
Huge thanks to everyone for your help and support!
A special thank you goes to journalist Michael Nacke for his generous donation, which made it possible to complete the fundraising ahead of schedule.
Our goal is to install the memorial by June 4, 2026 — the day Aleksei Navalny would have turned 50.
The memorial will honor the memory of a Russian politician who believed in the possibility of change in Russia and selflessly fought for the values of freedom and democracy.
Navalny was murdered in prison, but his ideas continue to live on and inspire people around the world.
Next comes the production and installation of the memorial near the Russian Embassy in Helsinki.
We will keep you informed and share detailed updates about every stage of the project!
Many thanks to Michael Nacke, Ilya Yashin, the anonymous donor from the Netherlands, and everyone who contributed — even €5 brought us closer to making this project a reality!
Special thanks for informational support to Fyodor Krasheninnikov, Abbas Gallyamov, Zalina Marshenkulova, Ivan Zhdanov, Ilya Gantvarg, Olya Guseva, Alexey Kovalev, Olga Galkina, Lucy Green, Helga Pirogova, Leonid Volkov, Ksenia Fadeyeva, Danil Belyakov, Ilya Sergeev, Dmitry Nizovtsev, Ivan Filippov, Maxim Reznik — and to everyone who helped spread the word about the project!
Our sincere gratitude also goes to all media outlets for covering and supporting our initiative!
