Supporters of the Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who turns 47 today, demonstrated in Russia and in many other countries with him, after three years in prison, declaring that he maintains high morale despite the deterioration of his detention conditions.

According to the non-governmental organization OVD-Info, at least 45 people were arrested in various Russian cities, mainly in Moscow and St. Petersburg, because they were demonstrating in favor of Navalny. His spokeswoman, Kira Jarmis, tweeted photos of protests in Japan, Australia and Georgia.

In the statement issued by Navalny himself, he stated that although he has high morale, he would rather be with his family than in a prison colony 260 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

Navalny says it’s the umpteenth time, the 16th overall, in the discipline. His supporters believe that the Russian authorities want to break his morale and that is why they often lock him up, for many days, in cells where the living conditions are unbearable. “Clearly I would rather not wake up in a hole, have breakfast with my family, get a kiss from my kids, open my presents and say this is exactly what I dreamed of. But that’s life: we can’t expect social progress and a better future unless some people are ready to pay for it,” he wrote.

Navalny he is due to go on trial soon for a new case, accused of “extremism” and faces up to 35 years in prison.

Held from January 2021, after he returned to Russia following his serious poisoning – which he blames on the Kremlin – and says this new charge is a way to keep him in prison for life.

In March 2021 sentenced to nine years in prison for “fraud”, an accusation he says was made up. From his prison he continues to send messages to his team, recounting the conditions of his detention and denouncing Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.