U2 pays tribute to Alexeï Navalny during a concert in Las Vegas

“For these people, freedom is not just a word in a song. For these people, freedom is the most important word in the world. So important that Ukrainians fight and die for it. So important that Alexeï Navalny chose to abandon his,” declared Bono, the singer of the group U2, on the stage of the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Friday February 16, Vladimir Putin's main opponent died in obscure conditions at the age of 47 in a penal colony in the Arctic where he was serving sentences totaling more than thirty years of imprisonment.

“It seems Putin will never say his name,” the singer said. “So I thought that tonight we who believe in freedom must speak his name. Not just remembering it, but saying it.” The rock group becomes accustomed to taking positions in public. In May 2022, the leader of the group sang in the kyiv metro. On October 8, 2023, he paid tribute to the Israelis killed during the attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7.

The crowd shouted Alexei Navalny's name three times while musician David Howell Evans, known as The Edge, played the first notes of the song Don't Dream It's Over.