In the afterword to Charlotte Beradt’s «The Third Reich’s Dreams» Bruno Bettelheim, a former Buchenwald prisoner and psychologist, claims that one of the most terrifying aspects of the Nazi regime was that «even in their sleep, these people were not free.»
When we collectively experience a catastrophe, trauma, and grief, they happen to sneak into our dreams. Two years ago, I asked Russians what dreams about Putin they had to understand what images our subconscious wraps tyranny and fear in.
Documenting our dreams about Alexei Navalny I refer to my previous project and highlight the contrast: we’ve dreamt of a death dictator who tortures us in reality, we’ve seen a death hero, who fought for our freedom, being alive.
The dreams I have collected, thank you all for participation, mirror that we can be both free and restricted at the same time.
Daria Serenko, the author
Special thanks to an anonymous artist from Belarus for their illustrations.
1.
«We are in a dimly lit, tiny punishment cell together with Alexei. Obviously there were no windows but suddenly one pops up — bright, immense — and it’s getting larger. We’re tying rags, clothes, and even book pages into a rope. He glances back, smiles, and slips through the window. I’m holding the rope tight, helping him to escape. And then, I feel this wave of lightness. I think to myself: ‘They say he’s dead, but he is not!’»
2.
«I didn’t even know who to share this with. He appeared in my dream about ten days ago, just a few days before the tragedy. It was definitely a vivid dream. Was so sunny, full of summer light. Navalny was there, and so was the feeling of freedom and happiness. I woke up literally smiling with joy. But the rest slips away. All I remember is the colour of green all around us, the sunshine is bright, and Alexei is laughing.»
3.
«This dream came to me the night of February 15th. (Navalny’s death was reported the next day) I was so astounded I immediately checked the news (but nothing had been reported yet). Up until then, if I’d had political dreams, they’d been dark, nightmares about Putin. But the dream about Alexei was so light, so hopeful. It felt like a parallel reality. He was free, and I was at a book signing event. I’m not sure if it was his autobiography, but it seemed like it. He signed my copy, cracked a joke, we laughed, and then parted ways. Well, at least in the dream, I was lucky to visit the Beautiful Russia of the Future, where Alexei is still with us.»
4.
«Two weeks ago, I had a dream. I was in Russia, standing next to some high-rise residential building, watching over a group of people as they were painting a mural —the image of Alexei Navalny — on the side of it. I believe, I know, that the day will come and there will be many of these murals scattered across the country.»
5.
«The day he died, I dreamt that it was all over. Navalny, as a Russian president, had issued a decree (an order or law) that I didn’t like. Then, I remembered that day (the awful past), smiled, and woke up to the sound of sirens and explosions outside my window.»
6.
«Last summer, I dreamt that Alexei had died. It was a long, surreal dream, and I forgot most of the details immediately. The one thing I remember clearly is that there was a police officer (or maybe an OMON (SWAT) officer) sitting next to me, and we were both crying. The whole day felt heavy, but the only comfort was knowing it had all been just a dream.»
7.
«Once, I dreamt that I met him at a conference. He was already graying, looking older than his years. I shook his hand and said, ‘I’m so glad you survived.’»
8.
«I’ve had many dreams about Alexei. There was a particular one where he was imprisoned. I was walking up a hill when I saw a figure in the distance. He turned around, and I recognized him as Alexei. He handed me a note that said, ‘We’ll meet again.’ The last dream was very sad.I was standing in the middle of a field, crying. And then I saw him, ran toward him, and then I woke up. I grew up not far from the village where he was born.»
9.
«I spent seven horrible days waiting for him to come to my dreams and say something bright, something that might fix my pain even a little. And this morning, he came. It was as if we were all part of his team, preparing for some event, there were many people around, some of them were foreigners. Sometimes I walk up to him and gently pat him on the back. Then, I sat at a table with others, and he came over, extended his hand, and asked if we could talk in private. We walked down a long corridor, sat down.. but the dream was interrupted by children loudly playing outside. I woke up. But it was such a bright, nice dream. I felt so relieved afterward.»
10.
«The first night after Alexei’s death, I dreamt of war. The second night, I dreamt that Alexei was still alive and the government people were planning to poison him again, and I was part of a group trying to prevent it. I was told, «Alexei chose you, and he’s counting on your help.»
11.
«I saw a huge, modern, beautiful building, its glass windows reflecting the sunlight. And the sign at the entrance said «Congress Hall Navalny». No, I saw it, clearly. Didn’t feel like a dream at all.
12.
«I dreamt that Alexei, his wife Yulia, and I were putting up posters all over Moscow for the campaign. We were tearing down old ones from poles and walls and replacing them with ours. Then, I woke up and read the news: ‘Alexei Moskalev’s detention extended for another two months.’ For a moment, I thought it was news about Navalny. My brain sometimes reads what it wants to. I thought, ‘Thanks God, he’s alive.’»
13.
«I was standing with some people from his team in a small square at night. Suddenly, I saw that Alexei was standing behind them. I shouted, ‘There he is, alive!’ But just then, he turned into a column of blue flame and disappeared.»
14.
«I dreamt that he had escaped. In some village, he met with his mother and wife. There, on the bed, was a little cat. «As long as I can remember, there’s always been this cat. How skinny it is! Let’s donate for its treatment and food» he said. Sometimes, you dream of someone else’s paradise.»
15.
«The day before yesterday, I dreamt of nothing but a notification from the First Department’s (human rights advocacy organization) channel saying Alexei was dead. Literally it was just my phone’s screen all night. Yesterday, I dreamt we were sitting together in the kitchen, and I kept saying to myself, ‘He’s alive, he’s alive, he’s alive.’ But then, the sticky reality started creeping in, and I woke up, realizing that he was dead. This morning, I dreamt of a posthumous film about Navalny. Now his death is more real, more suffocating, even in my dreams.»
16.
«Once, I visited Alexei in prison and brought him smoked fish. But most often, my dreams were about my greatest wish coming true: we won, we met. And in every dream I would hug him and tell him how much I admired him. My first thought on February 16th was: my dream will never come true. I collapsed.»
17.
«He was standing in a doorway, surrounded by flowers. And we all knew how many people would follow him, how many had already walked that path before him.»
18.
«For three nights in a row, I’d been dreaming of his family, but not of him. Also I dreamt of being chased by someone trying to kill me, couldn’t make it tho. I felt like death was breathing down my neck causing a bittersweet longing, but in the end, everything was actually okay.»
19.
«In 2017, I had a dream about three scenarios of Navalny‘s murder. Another one took place at the documentary film premiere. When the police arrived, the whole massive line of people ended up being loaded into police vans. I was running away through fences, terrified.»
20.
«2022: I dreamt of some terrible dystopia under Putins’ regime: all the opposition leaders got old, Navalny seemed to have died, activists had gone underground, doing some criminal activities, losing their minds (I’m writing it down as I recorded it back then—feels like I’m losing my mind now).»
21.
«April 2023: I dreamt of Navalny again. The plot was complicated—he had been killed, but in fact, he was alive and being tortured. I miss him.»
22.
«According to old wives tales, when you dream of someone on the first night in a new home, it’s said to be your future spouse. I dreamt of Navalny, towering like a five-story building, walking along the shore of Lake Baikal (though, eventually, the police in helicopters stopped him).»
23.
«About a year ago, I dreamt that Alexei and I were trying to get into the Putin’s palace in Gelendzhik like spies, but we kept getting stuck in a time loop—nothing ever worked, they found us, captured us, scared us off, but we kept repeating it. I also remember I was hopelessly in love with him in the dream, but caring about Yulia, I didn’t dare to confess my feelings. And after every failure, I told him I wouldn’t abandon him and wouldn’t let him down.»
24.
«After his death, I dreamt of him being found alive. He had posted ironically, ‘You buried me too early.’ He was still in prison, but somehow, untouchable.»
25.
«I dreamt that he was released from prison. We were standing in some green yard in the summer, discussing how beautiful Russia would be now when he got free and was able to get back into politics. He wasn’t a president yet, but had influence over the country and could make decisions.»
26.
«Recently, I had a dream about Navalny’s mother. It was a sad one, because it became an echo of reality. We were talking on the way to a taxi parking, walking through a dark courtyard in the morning, surrounded by typical Soviet panel housing blocks. I let her take my taxi as she was in a hurry to get to her son’s grave.»
27.
«This one is from a few months ago. We were sitting in the back row of a classroom. Navalny, Yulia, and someone else entered and sat down in front of us. Alexei turned around and asked what was going on. We had a chitchat, he joked and smiled the whole time.»
28.
«A couple of months ago, I dreamt I somehow ended up in prison, talking to Alexei about something. When our conversation ended we hugged, but he stayed behind bars, and it was devastatingly sad.»
29.
«Alexei appeared in my dream just today… It was wintertime, snow was falling, covering me turning me into a snowman. I saw Navalny about 15 meters away, saying that everything was just a terrible dream.’ The covid-19 pandemic has never happened just as Navalny’s poisoning. Russian constitution was never rewritten. People of Belarus haven’t experienced the cruel police violence in summer 2020. We got back on the 31st of December 2019. «Congratulations, the beautiful Russia of the future! Nobody‘s died. It was all just my feverish nightmare.»»
30.
«After his death, I dreamt that he came on air, alive, and shyly said something like, ‘Well, you guys really went all out, didn’t you?’ He laughed, made some jokes. And then I woke up.»
31.
«In 2021, I struggled with sleep and often had nightmares. One night, I dreamt three nightmares: one was about war, another was about my job. And in the third one, I opened the news and read about Navalny’s death in prison. All three nightmares, in some way, came true. So gloomy.»
32.
«I dreamt that Alexei escaped from prison and, together with his friends, was at our farm in Latvia, discussing how they would save Russia from Putin. One by one, his supporters kept arriving, and in my dream, I only worried that there wouldn’t be enough space at the table for everyone.»
33.
«I dreamt that he had escaped from prison and somehow ended up at my summer house. It was a very detailed, realistic dream. We tried to talk, but it felt incredibly awkward. I didn’t realize it was just a dream. I woke up and cried.»
34.
«A month ago, I dreamt that I had saved Navalny from prison (I don’t remember how). He was with me, and all night, I was anxious, panicking about him being recognized so I was looking for the mask he could cover his fame with to go outside. And there was also this joy, this feeling that Russia would finally be free.»
35.
«I dreamt that I and a group of strangers, acting as spies, infiltrated the IK-6 prison and rescued Alexei. On the way back, we rode horses and jumped onto the plane that took us to London 💅.»
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