On March 15-17, 2024, Russia will hold its presidential elections. On March 14, 2024, friends and associates of late Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny published a letter that he wrote in the penal colony in Kharp before his death with instructions for it to be posted before the election.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny during his term in penal colony (Source: Kommersant/ Emin Jafarov).
Following is Navalny's letter:[1]
"The Elections Are So Dubious, And The Candidates So Fake – But A Vote Has Value, And It Is Your Vote"
"You are being tormented [by the question of who to vote for], but I am fine. I do not have this problem – convicts do not vote.
"But I have another problem – the thing is that you are suffering over not knowing what to do at noon on March 17, when you will come to the polls. I will try to solve it for you. With the help of 'Photon.'
"I myself have called [for voters] to vote against Putin, that is, [to vote] for any other candidate. But no matter how many times I repeat that, it does not matter for whom you will cast your vote, neither mathematically, nor politically: You will still have to stand in the voting booth with a pen over the ballot.
"And somehow, you will have to decide whose name to check in the ballot. And the elections are so dubious, and the candidates so fake. But a vote has value, and it is YOUR vote.
"Even if it is necessary to vote for anyone against Putin, one still wants to have some kind of voting pattern. One wants to vote intelligently, with meaning.
"It seems to me that the smart thing to do would be to vote for everyone who is not Putin evenly, without singling out anyone. This suits us,[2] among other things, because it will suit all the candidates and their supporters, in principle. They will for sure get some votes and will not oppose our strategy (in practice, they will say out loud what the Kremlin tells them to say).
"That is, the logical thing to do would be to vote according to the random number principle.
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"And in this regard Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Werner Heisenberg with their uncertainty [principle][3] come to the aid of Russian voters.
"As we know, in the famous Einstein and Bohr debate on 'does God play dice,'[4] Bohr won, and science has established that, yes, God plays dice, and the uncertainty principle tells us that it is impossible to measure two related parameters of a particle, such as its position and momentum, accurately at the same time. The more accurately one of these parameters is measured, the less accurate the measurement of the other becomes. Simply put, if we know where a photon is, we do not know the direction of its flight, and if we know exactly its direction, we have no idea exactly where it is.
"That is, if we simplify quantum physics to the 'Ella Pamfilova'[5] state, it turns out that if we fire a photon at four targets – the names of the candidates and the item 'to invalidate the ballot,'[6] then NOBODY really knows and cannot predict where it will hit.
"'So what?' you will ask, dumbfounded, 'are you suggesting for us to fire photons at the candidates' names?'
"Well, yes, I suggest it.
"We already have a photon cannon!
"Seriously! I was reading a biography of Einstein a few months ago, and that is when I came up with the idea and asked [my associates] to do this. We have a physics device in our office."
Quantum random number generator "QUANTIS" (Source: Navalny.com/)
"You Will Prove That There Are Many Of Those In Russia Who Do Not Want Putin For The Fifth Term – Do Not Be Lazy, Please: Come To The Polling Stations At Noon And Shoot Photons"
"It is small and has an uncomplicated design. In this device, photons, individual particles of light, are directed at a translucent mirror. With a 50-50 probability, they either reflect off the mirror or pass through it. If a photon is reflected, it hits one of the sensors, and this hit is recorded as a 'zero.' If it passes through the mirror, it hits another sensor, that hit is recorded as a 'one.' It is impossible to predict in advance what exactly will happen to a photon. This feature, in particular, is used for quantum encryption.
"And we have an app for iPhone and Android. When you press the 'vote' button [in the app], the device will fire photons at the mirror. In order to choose one of the 4 positions, two photons are needed – they can form four combinations of 'zeros' and 'ones.' The one combination you will receive [via the app] will determine which of the options is yours.
"You can do the same thing via the 'Smart Voting' bot.
"Depending on your worldview, you may believe that God, Nature, Chaos, Cosmos, chance, or Walrus-Mother made the choice for you.
"There is no cheating. It is you who fires this photon, and it flies especially for you. I remind you that photons fly at a speed slightly higher than the speed at which the CEC comes up with new falsifications, so our device can deal with a large number of users.
"Download the app (iOS, Android). It is already working. You can play with it for a while, and before casting the vote, you can fire a photon anew.
"I hope that our undertaking helps you decide what to do at noon on March 17, now that you will come to the polls anyway, and stops the pointless discussion of who to vote for.
"You will prove that there are many of those in Russia who do not want Putin for the fifth term. Do not be lazy, please: Come to the polling stations at noon and shoot photons."
[1] Navalny.com/p/6674/
[2] i.e., those who support Navalny's stance.
[3] The author refers to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics.
[4] The author refers to Albert Einstein statement, "God does not play dice with the universe" and public debates about quantum mechanics between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr.
[5] Ella Pamfilova is a Russian politician and Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC).
[6] In addition to Vladimir Putin there will be three other candidates at the March elections (Nikolay Kharitonov, Leonid Slutsky, and Vladislav Davankov).
