(CNN) — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has now been transferred to a prison north of the Arctic Circle, expressed his “relief” in his first message shared on social media by his aides on Tuesday after what he described as a “tough” 20-day prison shift over thousands of miles.
“They brought me here this Saturday night. “They took me very cautiously on a strange route (Vladimir – Moscow – Chelyabinsk – Ekaterinburg – Kirov – Vorkuta – Karp) where I did not expect anyone to find me before mid-January,” Navalny wrote on X. As Twitter.
1/9 I am your new Santa Claus.
Well, now I have a sheepskin coat and an ushanga. Hat (fur cap with flaps covering the ears), and soon I'll get valengi (a traditional Russian winter boot). I grew a beard for 20 days.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) December 26, 2023
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“The 20 days of my transfer have been very exhausting, but I'm still in a good mood to fit Santa Claus,” he said, adding that he feels “absolutely relieved” to have finally made the trip.
According to CNN calculations, Navalny covered more than 3,700 miles (roughly 6,000 km) in the twenty days of his trip.
Navalny said he had already met with his lawyer and thanked his supporters for their concern. He said it felt good and was happy to finally do it.
His posts said he was in solitary confinement, but Navalny said he went out for a walk in a yard.
“I saw a convoy, not like in central Russia, but like in the movies: with machine guns, warm gloves and felt boots. With the same beautiful furry sheepdogs,” he wrote in X.
“Thanks again everyone for your support. And happy holidays!” Navalny said.
On Monday, Navalny's team said they found him in IK-3 in the village of Karp, about 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets autonomous region, after a 20-day search effort.