Alexei Navalny: 'I Am Your New Santa Claus'

Alexei Navalny, aka @navalny, has finally been located.

1/9 I am your new Santa Claus.

Well, I now have a sheepskin coat, an ushanka hat (a fur hat with ear-covering flaps), and soon I will get valenki (a traditional Russian winter footwear). I have grown a beard for the 20 days of my transportation.

2/9 Unfortunately, there are no reindeer, but there are huge fluffy, and very beautiful shepherd dogs.

And the most important thing: I now live above the Arctic Circle. In the village of Kharp on Yamal. The nearest town has the beautiful name of Labytnangi.

3/9 I don't say "Ho-ho-ho", but I do say "Oh-oh-oh" when I look out of the window, where I can see a night, then the evening, and then the night again.

The 20 days of my transportation were pretty exhausting, but I'm still in a good mood, as befits a Santa Claus.

4/9 They brought me here on Saturday night. And I was transported with such precaution and on such a strange route (Vladimir - Moscow - Chelyabinsk - Ekaterinburg - Kirov - Vorkuta - Kharp) that I didn't expect anyone to find me here before mid-January.

5/9 That's why I was very surprised when the cell door was opened yesterday with the words: "A lawyer is here to see you". He told me that you had lost me, and some of you were even worried. Thanks very much for your support!

6/9 I can't entertain you with stories about polar exotics yet because I haven't seen anything outside of the camera. And outside the camera window, I can only see the fence, which is very close.

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